There still does not seem to be gender parity in The Bahamian workforce; in fact, government figures show that men earned an average of at least $2,000 more than women in each of nine employment categories listed in an annual wage survey for 2003/2004.
And according to some, this disparity underlines an ongoing tension and struggle for gender parity in terms of the value of work that women contribute to Bahamian society, a struggle some say must continue in terms of addressing that tension through public education and through practice.
The most recent relevant data from the Department of Statistics suggests that the disparity widens at the top of the earning scale.
For example, the biggest earners ﾖ male “senior officials and managers” ﾖ earned nearly $13,000 more than women in the same category on New Providence and Grand Bahama in 2003/2004.
Among those jobs popularly believed to pay well, the disparity between what men and women earned on average was noticeable.
Not one category listed showed women workers averaging more than $90,000 in 2003/2004, while in that same year, men topped $90,000 in eight categories ﾖ men in six of those categories earned more than $100,000.
“We still yet have a long way to go in terms of salaries and remunerations (for women), because there is still disparity when it comes to remuneration, but that is something that we have to continue to work at,” said Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin.
“It might be that in many cases thereﾒs just still gender bias in terms of salaries, and perhaps women are not demanding as much as their counterparts, that could (also) be a part of the problem,” the minister added.
“But itﾒs certainly something that we should look at, and determine what can be done to address the problem.”
Mrs. Griffin said that “adding teeth” to the Employment Act, which stipulates, “equal pay for equal work,” ought to be a part of the strategy used in examining why this disparity exists.
Male “senior officials and managers” averaged $49,209 2003/2004, while female “senior officials and managers” made an average of $36,094.
Women “professionals” earned an average of $33,374 in 2003/2004, while men in the same category earned $47, 615 ﾖ a difference of $14,241, which exceeds the salary for males in the “elementary occupations” category.
The largest disparity identified in the “professionals” category was the fact that male doctors made on average $103,629 in 2003/2004 while working an average of 38 hours per week. Female doctors worked an average of 40 hours for an average salary $40,008.
Male dentists earned an average of just under $100,000, compared to the $46,933 averaged by female dentists. Male accountants, male financial service professionals, male lawyers and journalists all averaged more than their female counterparts.
The only category in which women consistently out-earned men in 2003/2004 appear to have been the education professions.
According to Department of Statistics figures, male directors and chief executives averaged $126,000 plus in 2003/2004, while for the same year women directors and chief executives earned nearly half that amount, at $69,723.
But the trend of men earning more than women held true in the public sector ﾖ at least in 2003/2004 ﾖ though the disparity in government or quasi-government enterprises or organizations is not quite so wide. In that category, male managers averaged $31,200, whereas females earned $29, 310.
Minister Griffin cautioned that “we donﾒt know what the variables are, because along with just being on the same job, (remuneration) sometimes depends on seniority on the job as well, particularly in the (civil) service I know that would (have an impact).”
“So there might be other variables that impact why a man on the same job might be making more than a woman.”
Marion Bethel, a lawyer and someone outspoken on gender issues, chalked the disparity up mostly to one societal prejudice.
“(The disparity in pay between men and women) says that menﾒs work is valued more than womenﾒs work, therefore a man gets paid more for his work,” she said, “and it also assumes that men are the heads of the families and ought to be paid more than women.”
As for how to attack the situation, Ms. Bethel said that women must make “strong representation” against the practice of paying men more for the same work.
“You have to advocate for yourself,” she said. “So we have to advocate for ourselves that this is unjust, and inequitable, and has no basis in anything ethical or just ﾖ it canﾒt be justified.
“I think the voices just have to keep growing and mounting in opposition to that kind of practice. It has no basis for a just society, really, or a just work ethic.”
The figures also show that for the same category in the public service, women worked an average of one hour more each week than their male counterparts.
In Ms. Bethelﾒs view, there is an assumption in Bahamian society that men are more competent than women and work better, neither of which she felt could be substantiated.
“In The Bahamas we very rarely have any scientific information to assist us in planning and setting up formulas to combat certain (problems) and put in place certain programmes,” Minister Griffin said.
By: Quincy Parker, The Bahama Journal
