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JORDAN - GENDER PAY DISCRIMINATION -
CALL FOR CHANGE
The
International Labour Organization is working with the Jordanian government and
its social partners to help narrow the pay gap between men and women.
22 May 2013 - AMMAN (ILO News) – When Amira*, a Jordanian
schoolteacher, asked her principal for a pay rise, it was refused. A few months
later she was fired.
“The official reasons given for my dismissal were weak. I’m sure they wanted to
punish me for asking for a fair wage for my work,” she says.
I
only received a rise of around three per cent, while my male employees
received seven per cent." |
Banan*
works for a media company and complains she is paid at least 30 per cent less
than her male colleagues for performing the same job.
“Everyone was given a pay increase but I only received a rise of around three
per cent, while my male employees received seven per cent. When I pointed out
this disparity to my manager, I was told it was deliberate and that a married
woman’s place is at home with her children,” Banan explains.
These stories provide a snapshot of the discrimination faced by many women in
Jordan’s labour market – despite the fact that the country has ratified the ILO
Equal
Remuneration Convention, No. 100 and the Discrimination
(Employment and Occupation) Convention, No. 111.
A
Wide Pay Gap
Men working in Jordan’s private sector earn on average 41 per cent more than
women. In the public sector, men earn about 28 per cent more. According to
official figures, the pay gap in manufacturing is 41.3 per cent; in health and
social work, 27.9 per cent and 24.5 per cent in education.
Discrimination also extends to non-wage benefits such as health insurance and
paid expenses – which many women are not entitled to. In addition, many
employers do not provide maternity leave, forcing women to take long career
breaks, leading them to fall behind in pay and promotion.
“The problem of pay discrimination is a social problem where society does not
see women’s contribution to the labour market to be on the same level or importance
as that of men,” says Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) Secretary
General, Asma Khader.
The ILO has been working with the Ministry of Labour on the issue of pay equity
since 2010. As a result, a National Steering Committee on Pay Equity (NSCPE)
was launched in 2011, with representation from government, the JNCW, trade
unions, professional associations, employers, civil society groups, women’s
research centres and the media.
Its aim is to promote the principle of equal pay for work of equal value and to
take the lead in developing and implementing an action plan for pay equity.
“The NSCPE’s promotion of pay equity will enhance the participation of women in
the labour market under equitable conditions,” explains Reem Aslan, the ILO’s
National Pay Equity Consultant in Jordan.
Legislation
Change
The committee has been reviewing Jordan’s national laws, and in collaboration
with the ILO commissioned an in-depth study, which examined the gender pay gap
in Jordan’s private education sector. It found that men earn 41.6 per cent more
in private schools and 23.1 per cent more in private universities.
The report said the discrepancies were due to a number of factors, including a
tradition of undervaluing women’s jobs and qualifications, social and cultural
factors and the absence of national laws.
Increasing women’s
participation and promotion in the labour market ... is a great priority for
the Ministry of Labour." |
Abeer Al-Akhras of the Jordanian Teachers Syndicate believes
part of the problem is a lack of awareness about the issue: “The individual
herself sometimes doesn’t know her rights in the law and accepts everything.”
The government says it is determined to tackle the issue.
“Increasing women’s participation and promotion in the labour market, and
improving women’s prospects is a great priority for the Ministry of Labour,’’
says Labour Ministry Secretary General Hamada Abu Nejmeh.
Maher al-Mahrouq, the general director at Jordan Chamber of Industry, also says
change is needed.
“From the point of view of the private sector, particularly the industrial
sector, this pay gap is unacceptable. In light of the constitution and labour
law, we strive to reach a just and equal level for everyone in terms of pay.
What is important is productivity, regardless of the gender.”
The NSCPE has recommended changes to be made in national legislation to
reinforce the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value. It
hosted a symposium on the issue in Amman on May 19.
“It is important that all stakeholders work together to lobby legislators for
the amendment of national legislation,” says Aslan of the ILO. “Employers need
to be encouraged to adopt gender neutral salary scales and unions should be
supported in collective bargaining and women encouraged to negotiate and claim
their right to equal pay.’’
* Names have been changed.