Irish women, we’re working for free for the rest of the year

Grim enough start to the week, tbf.

Irish women are working for free for the rest of the year thanks to the gender pay gap. Ireland currently has a 13.9 percent wage gap between genders, meaning that November 11 marks the day where women technically stop getting paid the same amount as men. The group behind the #WorkEqual campaign, Dress for Success Dublin (DfSD), said that although Ireland is above the EU average when it comes to the gender pay issue, there is still a visible difference. “We have a gender pay gap in Ireland of 13.9 percent. If you shave 13.9 percent off the end of the year, you land on today’s date," said charity founder Sonya Lennon. "So Equal Pay Day is a symbolic day to highlight the still existing pay gap between women and men. “We acknowledge that the pay gap is a symptom of the wider gender opportunity gap and cultural and structural challenges that women face in the workplace. While progress is being made, change is happening slowly, and more needs to be done to challenge societal and political attitudes." Lennon said that this year's #WorkEqual campaign is aiming to bring together leaders from civic communities, businesses, and politics to address the issues still facing Irish women in the workplace. “Lack of affordable childcare, gender stereotyping, inflexible work options, and poor take-up of parental leave are all feeding into the persistent inequalities between women and men," said Lennon. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality Index, Ireland is scoring above the EU average when it comes to gender pay gaps. However, the index also showed that women’s mean monthly earnings are €2,808 in Ireland, compared to €3,423 for men The full-time equivalent employment rate for women is also 43.9 percent, while it is 60 percent for men. “The data from the European Gender Equality Index clearly shows we still have work to do to achieve equality in Ireland,” said Lennon. “Over the coming month, we will be highlighting the challenges that persist; working with relevant stakeholders and policymakers to develop solutions; and raising awareness through our events, online activities and political engagements about the changes that need to take place.” You can find out more about the #WorkEqual campaign here.