 While the number of women in the workforce continues to rise, the wage gap stays put. / Korea Times File |
By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
Despite ongoing differences worldwide, one thing remains consistent: the wage gap between men and women.
A 2005 U.S. Labor Department study showed that college-educated women, aged between 36 and 45, earned 74.7 cents in hourly pay for every dollar that men of the same age group made.
And in the U.K., last month's survey said that manager-level women on average earned $88,854 annually, while similar-ranking men took home $101,245, to which, the Chartered Management Institute says, is the first time that the pay gap among British managers widened in 11 years.
Similar differences apply locally, as women make about 80 percent of the salary that men make, said Kim Young-ok, a senior researcher at Korean Women's Development Institute.
``Compared to 20 years ago the gap has narrowed, women used to make only 60 percent of what men did,'' she said, adding that it's the big corporations that usually change the direction and make a statement with their salary rules.
However, a recent survey done by online recruiter Career indicated that while more major firms are hiring women, the salary difference is widening.
It said the number of females employed hiked in 61 companies out of the 100 surveyed, with Korea Electric Power Corporation seeing the biggest jump over the past five years. LG.Philips LCD, Samsung Tech Win, Samsung Heavy Industries and Hana Bank were some of the other companies that, compared to previous years, added more women to their payroll.
But, despite the positive turn in the hiring boost, the study showed that the average paycheck gap has reached up to 22.8 million won ($24,800), up 8 million compared to 2001.
``As we all know, this isn't just a problem of Korea,'' said Kim. ``In other parts of the world, Even if women and men ultimately do the same work, men still take more home.''
And there are many reasons for this, say experts.
Apart from the longer overall hours put in by men than women, Warren Farrell, author of ``Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap _ and What Women Can Do About It,'' said male workers are more likely to be open toward factors that lead to higher pay.
Relocating or traveling extensively for work, taking on more hazardous assignments, working in the hard sciences, taking jobs requiring greater financial risk and working in unpleasant environments are some of the conditions Farrell mentions in his book.
On the other hand, he writes that women lean toward careers that are more fulfilling, flexible and safe, with the tradeoff of lower pay.
``Not only do many women have specific work preferences, but they tend to leave the workforce early for marriage and child-rearing, which definitely affects their salary curve,'' added Kim, noting that a higher number of women are also temporary contract workers who generally get paid less than permanent ones.
Although the issue of the wage gap has been long-existent, economists and feminists have recently raised concerns that the narrowing has hit stagnation.
``The 1980s has been a time of playing catch-up, but the speed suddenly slowed and will most likely remain sluggish,'' said Kim, as she attributed the doldrums partially to women's indifferent reactions despite the inequality. ``They have to step up to the plate and take action.''
Regarding this matter, Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever, authors of ``Women Don't Ask,'' give good reasons to why ladies should speak up, as they say, by not negotiating a first salary, an individual stands to lose more than $500,000 by age 60.
Also, they wrote men are four times more likely to negotiate a first salary, with men picking metaphors such as ``winning a ballgame'' and a ``wrestling match'' to describe the negotiation process, while women chose to describe it as ``going to the dentist.''
``Although the societal landscape forms the wage disparity to some degree, natural tendencies between the two genders play a significant factor as well,'' said Kim.
jhan@koreatimes.co.kr
