Perfectly Productive: September 2018

Women are increasingly prominent in international politics, and so it shouldn't be an issue if a politician, candidate or even a world leader is female this day in age. However despite countless protests and battles for women's rights throughout the generations, sadly prejudice is still very much present. The notion of a 'level playing field' when it comes to gender is still an ideal rather than a reality, however today's female politicians are paving the way to change that with their examples inspiring more young women to enter politics. These examples are some of the lesser-known women in politics who are nevertheless battling against the odds to do work that will benefit people in their country, regardless of gender. It's not just the fact of these women's successful careers that is inspiring, it's that they are also working tirelessly for causes they believe in, changing perceptions, and proving that they can make a positive difference in the world.

Fadumo Dayib

Fadumo Dayib was literally risking her life when she became Somalia's first female Presidential candidate. Despite four death threats to date, the Harvard graduate will stand in 2016 in the patriarchal and troubled country's first democratic elections since 1967. Dayib is highly articulate and extremely well-educated, despite being born to illiterate Somali parents and not fully learning to read and write until she was 14. After working for the United Nations in the field of public health, she decided she wanted to try to help her own country move forward. One of Dayib's main concerns is to change the culture of sexual violence in Somalia, where in 2014 the Human Rights Watch declared: "Here, rape is normal."

Jennifer Abubakar

The wife of former Nigerian vice-president Atiku Abubakar, Jennifer Douglas Abubakar founded the Gede Foundation in 2002 to provide high-quality treatment and care for HIV and AIDS sufferers, as well as training, advocacy and research. The foundation is considered pioneering in reaching out to underserved and highly stigmatised populations, and more recently has also made mental health problems in these communities a priority, despite cultural taboos around the subject across Africa. Dr Abubakar was also instrumental in the founding of the American University of Nigeria in 2005, the first American-style university to be established in Sub-Saharan Africa, following her own graduation from the American University in Washington, DC.

Emily Brothers

Courageous Emily Brothers is not only blind but also the UK's first openly transgender politician. Although the Labour Party candidate didn't win the seat she fought for in the 2015 General Election, she is winning her struggle against prejudice and discrimination. Her dignified response to disparaging comments about both her gender and disability in a national newspaper helped bring issues of LGBT rights into the spotlight, and the bold example of her embrace of personal qualities that could be seen as political liabilities by others makes Brothers one of the most inspiring politicians of any gender on the current landscape.

These are three very different women in different countries, fighting different circumstances, but all proving that politics is no longer a no-go area for women around the world. Whether they're fighting for women's rights or tackling wider issues of health and discrimination, these female politicians are determined that their voices should be heard.

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Around nine thousand firms have been required to calculate their gender pay gap and publish their findings this year, and with big companies revealing their figures, the gender pay gap is a major talking point across the UK. The gender pay gap reflects the different average hourly salaries earned by men and women, with the percentage difference between average hourly earnings. Unlike pay inequality which compares the wages of men and women doing the same job - a gender pay difference at a company is not illegal, but could reflect the discrimination of women in the workplace in the modern day. The average gender pay gap across all medium and large-sized companies is now 8.2%, as measured by median pay. In other words men typically earn over 8% more per hour than women.

What is the difference between the gender pay gap and equal pay?

The pay gap isn't the same as equal pay. Equal pay means that men and women in the same employment who perform equal work, must receive equal pay. This was set out in the Equality Act 2010 and has been a legal requirement for 47 years. Under the Equal Pay Act 1970, and then more recently, the Equality Act 2010 it is against the law to pay people unequally due to their gender. The gender pay gap on the other hand is a measure of the difference between men’s and women’s average earnings across an organisation or the labour market. For example, a company might have a gender pay gap if a majority of men are in top jobs, despite paying male and female employees the same amount for similar roles.

Why is there a gender pay gap?

The gender pay gap is a complex issue with a number of factors all playing a part. Research suggest that one cause is caring responsibilities; women often care for young children or elderly relatives meaning they're more likely to work in part-time roles- these are often lower paid and have fewer opportunities for career progression. A study at Princeton University also found the gender wage gap being a result of bearing children; a sharp decline in women’s earnings is seen after the birth of their first child with no comparable salary drop for men. The cumulative effect of this is significant- women often end up earning twenty percent less than their male counterparts over the course of their careers. Other factors that can result in the gender pay gap that we see include discrimination. While protestors and decision makers are trying to rule out discrimination in the workplace it does still exist; research shows that one in nine new mothers were either dismissed, made redundant or treated so poorly they felt they had to leave their job. This can create a gap in experience, leading to lower wages when women return to work. Men also tend to take up the majority of the most senior roles at a company, which are the highest paid.

How can we resolve the gender pay gap issue?

There are a number of ways we can go about tackling the gender pay gap. The first would be to design policies, systems and environments that allow us to make better decisions, and therefore take the bias out of workplaces, schools and societies. We need to eliminate things like gendered language from job advertisements, deploy structured job interviews which are fairer and put more importance on an flexible workplace culture which can allow women to manage their care commitments along with their career. Companies being required to submit data about their gender pay gap is also a positive step, being aware of the problem means we can start looking at ways to put it right.

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