Examining Gender Discrimination in Labour Markets
This year’s April International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development, taking place from April 11-14 at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, will cover the most pressing issues relating to Russia’s social and economic development. This year, gender issues are addressed in a number of presentations, including during a special session entitled ‘Gender, socialization, ageism’ taking place on the morning of April 13.
‘One aspect of gender discrimination is male-female wage gaps among regular wage or salaried workers’, said Ashwini Deshpande, Professor in the Delhi School of Economics (University of Delhi), who will be giving a presentation entitled ‘Glass Ceiling or Sticky Floor? Gender Discrimination in Labour Markets’. ‘This is only one small part of the overall gender discrimination, but an important part’.
Although Professor Deshpande’s presentation focuses on her native India, she is quick to note that the issues are seen in every country and in every industry and occupation. ‘Such wage gaps are ubiquitous -- globally, women earn about 80% of what men earn’, she emphasizes.
Gender discrimination has a number of serious consequences, including under-utilization of talent and an inefficient use of resources. Qualified women are not compensated appropriately for their skills or effort, and conversely, some men are overpaid in relation to their qualifications, according to Professor Deshpande.
‘In the longer term, this discourages women from acquiring high levels of education or skills, as they anticipate labour markets to discriminate against them’, she said.
Despite the persistence of gender discrimination in labour markets, Professor Deshpande notes that there has been progress in narrowing the gap over the past decade. The positive changes have been driven by several factors, including women's movements and several female legislators consistently highlighting the issue, as well as unequal pay being challenged in the courts. In several instances, the outcomes of legal cases have ensured greater equality, she noted.
Anna Chernyakhovskaya, specially for HSE News service
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