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Discussion Topic: The Right to Equal Pay for Equal Work
Nepal Government has made enormous progress on women’s rights over the last decades. Our constitution has guaranteed equal rights to men and women, but in practice, gender-based discrimination largely prevails in most of the sectors including in labor market. Gender wage gap is one such prominent example of structural gender discrimination faced by working women in Nepal. We have problem not only in wage discrimination but also inequality in terms of getting access to work. The number of females in workforce is nominally low because our patriarchal norms and values demoralize women to take part in labour force.
Furthermore, gender wage gap is also a key indicator that may increase the risk of violence against women as it discourages women from participating in the labour force. Therefore, eliminating the gender gap could encourage more women to become financially independent, which would increase gender equality and create a virtuous circle.
The above is one view of GBV, presented to promote thought and discussion around the topic. The views expressed in the discussion topic does not necessarily reflect the views of the project or its team members.
In RAP3 MHLR, we have equal payment system to our workers irrespective of their gender, which has been adopted by the programme since the beginning. The equal pay system of the project can strengthen our female workers, so that they can raise their voice in case of wage inequality while working somewhere in the future. In fact, paying equal wage to our male and female workers has played an important role in shaping their positive attitudes towards promoting gender equality within their community.
Gender payment gap has been around for too long and it takes a lot of effort to fight against this inequality from our individual level. However, collective bargain for equal wage could be an important part of the solution. Also, there are many women in Nepal who are earning their livelihood through informal employment activities. It is even more important to secure their equal pay rights by promoting the formalization of informal economy in the country.
In your opinion, how can we tackle this gender payment gap? Share your practical solutions to fight for equal pay.
RAP3MHLR is against unequal pay!
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