The gender gap remains open in the labor market

The need to bridge the gender gap in various aspects of society has ceased to be the concern of a few to become a global problem. Various forums and international organizations have included it on the agenda and have stressed the urgency of speeding up the process with concrete and deliberate actions.

The World Economic Forum's Global Report on the 2018 Gender Gap (Davos) shows an important fact: at the current pace, it will take 202 years to achieve parity in the area of ​​participation and economic opportunities.

The question becomes relevant for important reasons: one is social equity, but there is also a question of competitiveness and economic development. Data and studies abound, showing that organizations with more diversified boards and senior management are more productive, show better results in their balance sheets, are more innovative and improve the decision-making process. and adapting to change.

In addition, gender equity in the workplace would increase the gross domestic product (GDP) of the economy. The International Labor Organization (ILO) calculated that, if all countries achieved the G20 goal of reducing the gap in labor participation by 25% by 2025, the GDP worldwide increase of $ 5.3 trillion.

The world of work

In the economic field, the gender gap occurs at three levels.

The first is the lower participation of women in the labor market, implying that the economy does not take advantage of the potential of the entire population.

In Argentina, the labor force participation rate of women (who work or seek employment) is 49.1%, while the male rate is around 70%. Behind, hide the cultural patterns that overwhelm women (more than 70%) of domestic tasks and care.

The second point concerns the wage difference, with 25%, according to the ILO's 2018/19 World Pay Report. This is due to reasons such as fewer hours worked, a greater preponderance of women in lower paid activities and in the informal economy and lower participation in hierarchical positions.

At a glance at each hierarchical level, a Mercer consultant study in Argentina indicates that the pay gap is 12% for general managers and narrows to 9% for managers, six managers, four supervisors and seven badysts.

The third point that constitutes the employment gap is the reduction of women's participation in decision-making positions. In all sectors, in all countries, as the hierarchy progresses, the proportion of women decreases.

In Argentina, a survey conducted by KPMG in 2018 on the directories of the top 500 companies showed that only 8.4% of these positions were held by women. Of these, only 12 women were presidents and 25 were vice-presidents. In addition, 370 of the companies surveyed did not have women on their boards of directors and 295 (nearly 60%) did not replace either.

By contrast, in Córdoba, women make up 60% of university students and 65% of graduates, in addition to having better grades. Although the low participation rate in careers and technological and scientific activities is a minor problem, it is precisely the sectors that have a better perspective in the future.

What to focus

The steps taken to change this scenario and accelerate the reduction of the economic gap concern many actors: the public sector, society, families and businesses.

"It is increasingly important to take sides, because it is a cultural issue, beyond politics," says Maria Amelia Videla, director of communication, sustainable development and sustainable development. public affairs at Manpower. He argues that "fairness" is a priority not to lose talent "and that companies must" make a deliberate effort, capitalize on talent with sponsor women and set goals for achieving parity ".

"Women have made great progress, but there is still a long way to go and it is clearly necessary to increase their participation, for example in management positions, where they occupy only 4.2% of executive directors, according to ILO data, "says Alexandra Manera, Director of Human Resources at Adecco.

"A culture change is needed for the role of care tasks and public support policies, such as paternity leave and care institutions." In companies, the majority of people who decide on promotions are men, which requires disruptive actions to remedy this situation, "said Andrea Ávila, CEO of Randstad.

The executive, one of 12 presidents noted by KPMG, says that companies must first measure and then "review the policies of recruitment, development, promotions, training, compensation for avoid badist prejudices ".

Florencia Caro Sachetti, from Cippec's social protection program, lists three groups of measures: "to promote greater equity in the distribution of domestic chores and unpaid care, to eliminate gender bias in the recruitment and promotion of profiles within enterprises and the public sector, including the women's quota, and decisions against harbadment at work, including badual harbadment. "