{"id":7734,"date":"2018-11-09T11:26:06","date_gmt":"2018-11-09T00:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.empoweringambitiouswomen.com\/?p=7734"},"modified":"2019-07-15T20:11:36","modified_gmt":"2019-07-15T10:11:36","slug":"if-iceland-can-make-it-illegal-to-pay-women-less-so-can-we","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.empoweringambitiouswomen.com\/if-iceland-can-make-it-illegal-to-pay-women-less-so-can-we\/","title":{"rendered":"If Iceland Can Make It Illegal to Pay Women Less, So Can We"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nIf Iceland can do it, then what is taking Australia so long to close the gender pay gap?<\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/p>\n
Did you know that the World Economic Forum has ranked Iceland first for gender equality<\/a> nine years in a row? Here\u2019s one of the reasons why.<\/p>\n
At the start of 2018, Iceland introduced a new law making it illegal to pay women less than men. The legislation applies to employers with 25 or more staff and means businesses to have equal pay certification by the end of 2021. The certification must be renewed every three years.<\/p>\n
Technically, Iceland has had equal pay in place since the 1960s but, according to the Guardian<\/a>, Icelandic women were still earning \u201con average, between 14% and 20% less than men.\u201d It seems that having a law around gender pay equity is great, but you don\u2019t have to follow it until you\u2019re made to do so. That\u2019s what this legislation is all about. It\u2019s a law that will be monitored and businesses fined if they haven\u2019t complied.<\/p>\n
Does legislation change actions?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
While I think it\u2019s sad there\u2019s a need for legislation to make us do the right thing, perhaps it\u2019s what we need to do here in Australia. If Iceland can make it illegal to pay women less, so can we.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s debateable that changes in law lead to changes in attitude. It\u2019s more likely to be the other way around with the laws being changed or implemented in response to societal and cultural changes. But research by Deidre Curran<\/a> of Ireland\u2019s National University of Business and Economics, shows that regulation can influence change in organisations.<\/p>\n
Australia ranks at a lowly 35th<\/sup> spot<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
I believe most Australians agree that people should be paid equally for their work regardless of gender, yet Australia ranks 35th<\/sup> on the World Economic Forum report. It\u2019s estimated it will still take 217 years<\/a> before we achieve gender parity across the board.<\/p>\n
So, if changing the law leads to change in organisations, perhaps it\u2019s time Australia pushed for gender pay equality. If public opinion isn\u2019t making organisational change happen fast enough \u2013 and who wants to wait 217 years? \u2013 we need to put legislation in place to do it for us.<\/p>\n
We also need a system similar to Iceland\u2019s certification to encourage businesses to make the changes. Certification is a tool we can use to make sure businesses have instituted proper and equitable pay rates.<\/p>\n
If Iceland can make gender pay equity happen, so can Australia<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
I\u2019d prefer Australian businesses voluntarily made the change and did it in a reasonable time. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s going to happen. I understand there needs to be time for businesses to rework their finances, pay rates and possibly even job structures, but we need to make a start.<\/p>\n
The first thing a business owner should do is a salary audit to get a clear picture of what\u2019s really happening in the business. It\u2019s not just rates of pay to look for; it\u2019s checking for equal access to flexible working hours, overtime or shift work, and training, too. They all have a direct impact on earning equity. The Fair Work Ombudsman has a downloadable guide to gender pay equity<\/a> that will help businesses make a start.<\/p>\n
You know, we\u2019ll look back after a few years and wonder why it took so long to accept the concept of equal pay for women. It\u2019s something that seems to be so natural, future generations will wonder at the need for it to become legislation before it took effect.<\/p>\n