There are plenty of excuses as to why women earn less than men. The arguments: "Yes but, you also have less women in high positions; or yes but, women work more part-time", we all know them by now, but we still cannot solve the problem. Our guest today in the Werkprofessor is Sophie van Gool, entrepreneur with her company salaristijger and economist with a mission to close the wage gap.
Sophie is an economist and wrote the book 'why women earn less - and what we can do about it'. She is also an entrepreneur with her company salaristijger and is committed to equal opportunities and rewards in the labour market.
Today she takes us through her answers. We'll not only talk about why, but also what can we do about it and whether it's really so bad. Are women really that much unhappier than men because they earn less?
Appreciation
The wage gap between men and women has a few causes. Women often work part-time. On the other hand, they do much more unpaid work. So you see that men and women work the same amount (paid and unpaid work added together), but that women perform a larger part of the day unpaid work. Think for example of housework, care for children, but also volunteer work. In addition, women are less likely to be seen in top jobs, which means they are also less likely to have a top salary. Sophie explains that typical female professions, such as care or education, are less well paid. According to her, this is because these professions are less valued. And even if women have the same education and do the same work as men, they are still paid less. "Women are underestimated and therefore less valued," she says.
Who pays, decides
In today's society you see more and more that men and women find unequal treatment a problem. But that is not the only problem. The social consequences are huge. In the Netherlands, half of all Dutch women are not financially independent. Sophie: "In practice, you see that one-third of relationships fail and that women are usually the victims. Women are much more likely to end up in poverty. Sometimes women have to stay in (violent) relationships. In addition, the financial situation means that women have less freedom.
In a relationship, there is often also control over the salary. If you earn more, you have more say in whether, for example, there will be help at home or not. Who pays, decides.
Links
About Sophie van Gool
See Sophie's book here
More about the Working Professor
Do you have questions or input? Please contact Wendy van Ierschot at wendy@viepeople.com.
Curious about the next guest in the Werkprofessor or want to be the first to hear the teaser of the next episode? Follow the Werkprofessor on https://www.linkedin.com/company/viepeople/.
Build best-performing teams based on objective HR data
A well-executed data-driven HR approach provides a grip on the development and well-being of your people, as well as clarity and transparency. But where do you start and how do you ensure assurance within your organization?
.png)