Equal Pay for Equal Work !

It really is a question without a reasonable answer  ?   Why are women paid less than men when they are doing exactly the same job ?

Exactly a century ago it was unusual for women to hold down a paid job after they married.  The genders were divided along the lines that the male was the breadwinner and the woman was the homemaker.  It was not unusual for a woman to be automatically terminated when she married.

To some extent, that situation was changed by the two world wars.  Men serving in the armed services created labour shortages and women filled the gap in most industries, but at wars end those divisions reverted to type.

Change came gradually. At first it was a small percentage of married women who embraced a " career " and it was those families that bought bigger and better homes and enjoyed overseas holidays.  Many working women suffered from a skill deficit.   The male of the family was more likely to have gained a higher education with a university qualification.  Women gravitated to lesser job rankings and were consequently paid less.

Gradually, this change began to show in the standards of living.   We began to embrace the " two income family " concept and women became concentrated in nursing, teaching and child care.  In many cases these were government employ and wage levels were set lower than for males doing the same job.

The national economy quickly embraced the " two income family " concept and this became a necessity for home ownership at the price of houses escalated.  Women gained equality in the numbers attending university and earning qualification, but the " glass ceiling " prevailed and few were promoted to higher office.

That is where this situation persists today.  In parliament.   In board rooms.  In higher levels of management.  Women are paid less than men and fewer are chosen for elevation to the rank at which their .qualifications deserve.

Equality is fast becoming in both elevation and pay levels in government employ, but is still lacking in the private sector, but shareholder pressure is forcing most companies to institute change.  The political parties are aiming for gender balance and unequal pay levels on the shopfront floor are under pressure from women's groups.

It is evident that management relations and profitability both improve when there is a mix of genders running companies but often men in power feel more comfortable  when the management group is predominantly male.  It may take another decade or so for equality to filter through all aspects of industry, but that looks to be the inevitable outcome !