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WageIndicator Conference‘Going Global’

Louisa Potter and Simone Melis Incomes Data Services

Amsterdam, 16 April

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The International Gender Pay Gap

Comparing WageIndicator and ILO data

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Outline

Global data from ILO WageIndicator findings Visualizing the gap Comparing ILO and WI results Methodological issues Debate:

towards a single WI methodology?

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Global data

Analysis of pay gap in 63 countries; 30 European, 33 across the rest of the world

Global average 15.6 per cent (excluding Bahrain 16.5 per cent)

Results generally more positive in Europe, Oceania and Latin America, with Europe taking the lead

Data deficiencies in a number of countries, particularly across Africa and Asia

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Global data (2) Europe -

• Average pay gap 14.5 per cent• Overall decline in pay gap over the last decade• Job segregation by gender has a negative effect

on pay gap (i.e. UK)

Americas -• North America: lack of official data• Larger pay gap in Canada (27.5%) & USA

(22.4%) than world average• Latin America: mixed picture due to large informal

economies

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Global data (3)

Oceania -• Pay gap lower than world average:

• Australia 14.1% & New Zealand 13.8%• Mixed picture on progress

Africa -• Insufficient data

Asia -• Pay gap significantly higher than world average• Large variation due to the nature of individual

country labour markets and quality of official data, i.e. Bahrain (-40%), Japan (33.4%), Mongolia (16.1%) and Sri Lanka (7.3%)

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WageIndicator findings

12 countries covering almost 300 000 respondents

Average gap ranges between 13 (Brazil) and 23 per cent (Poland)

Pay gap is higher in female-dominated work environments than in typical male dominated work environments

The gender pay gap by NACE industry breakdown

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WageIndicator findings (2)

Part-time vs. full-time hours

The relationship between trade union membership and the gender pay gap

The public-private sector divide

Does education matter?

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Visualizing the global gap

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Visualizing the European gap

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Comparing ILO and WI results

Country ILO/Eurostat data sources

Wage Indicator database

Belgium 7.0 (provisional) 13.3

Brazil 17.7 (2004) 12.9

Finland 20.0 20.0

Hungary 22.0 21.9

Germany 11.0 17.0

Netherlands 18.0 (2005) 20.8

Poland 12.0 23.0

Spain 13.0 21.8

United Kingdom 20.0 (2005) 15.7

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Methodological issues

Defining the gender pay gap Calculating earnings Availability and reliability of data Sample size/response rate Type of employee Data collection

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Debate: Towards a single WI methodology?

Adjusted or unadjusted?

Weighted?

Hourly/weekly/annual earnings data?

Data collection period?