International Equal Pay Day

Posts

Focus on one of the most persistent indicators of inequality in the world of work: the gender pay gap.

September 18, 2025

The International Equal Pay Day , observed annually on 18 September , draws global attention to one of the most persistent indicators of inequality in the world of work: the gender pay gap, which currently stands on average, at 20 per cent globally. Despite progress in many sectors, pay inequities persist, highlighting the need for practical, scalable, and inclusive solutions that can work across diverse economic and workplace realities. At a time when labour markets appear to be weakening, there are widening inequalities, and mounting challenges to multilateralism, our collaborative message must be even more powerful: equal pay for work of equal value is a fundamental matter of labour and human rights, social justice, and economic resilience, and a strategic priority for building competitive and sustainable enterprises. As a Fundamental Convention, the ILO’s Equal Remuneration Convention (C100) directly addresses the principle of equal pay for men and women for work of equal val...

Flexible working is non-negotiable for gender equality.

September 17, 2025

For many women , the workday isn't just a 9-to-5 shift. Most work a full day, some entirely unpaid, and then turn to household and childcare duties from 5 to 9. This relentless cycle starts at sunrise – fixing breakfast and getting children ready for the day – and continues into the evening with dinner, homework, baths, and bedtime. UN Women Time Use Surveys show women do three times more unpaid care and domestic work than men , averaging 4.2 hours daily compared to men's 1.7 hours. This unfair load, and the constant need to flex around rigid systems is one of the biggest drivers of inequality at work . It’s also one of the easiest to fix. When a child is sick or school closes unexpectedly, it’s often women who pay the price , rescheduling meetings, using unpaid leave, or stepping back from work entirely. In the United States, women are 10 times more likely than men to take time off work to care for sick children . Flexibility at work could change everything . Over half of...

What can you do to boost flexibility for women?

September 17, 2025

Businesses: Normalize equal care responsibilities and flexible working arrangements Create jobs that work around people’s lives: prioritize flexible hours, remote options, and update leave policies to incentivize and acknowledge equal care responsibilities. Families: Share the chores Equality starts at home. If you eat, cook. If you wear it, wash it. If you live there, clean it. Care is everyone’s responsibility.

The cost of ignoring gender equality at work.

September 17, 2025

Most women face inequality and injustice at some point in their careers. Women are underpaid , promoted less often, overlooked for leadership, interrupted in meetings, sidelined from key projects, and more likely to face harassment, microaggressions, and burnout. Women worldwide still earn 20% less than men , and just 28% of managerial roles are held by women . While diversity targets are often championed, meaningful change has proven sluggish. The Team Lewis report found that more than 40% of employees believe their company’s efforts to support women could go further, and 47% want pay transparency prioritized. Workplace culture needs an overhaul too. Women report being undervalued, spoken over, and shut out of decision-making. One female respondent put it simply: "I often find myself in work environments where my opinion is not respected." In the US, it will take another 50 years for ALL women to achieve equality in the corporate sector, 22 years for white women and 48...

What can you do to make the workplace an equal space?

September 17, 2025

Businesses: Audit your policies, not just your progress Prioritize equal pay for work of equal value, transparent promotion pathways, and zero-tolerance for discrimination and harassment. Individuals: Make gender equality part of your everyday Listen actively, call out bias, and champion women’s voices in every room you’re in. Men: Become allies Use your influence to support your female colleagues .

Progress by design: Tackling gender bias in AI.

September 17, 2025

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a massive opportunity for humanity, reshaping how we work, learn, and live at gargantuan speed . But AI doesn’t operate in a vacuum, it “learns” from the world we have built. If AI tools and systems are trained with biased data , stereotypes and views shaped by decades of inequality, these will influence the final product. Currently, only 28 per cent of people are aware of gender bias in AI . Once informed, over half said they were concerned, especially Gen Z and Millennials. And they’re right to be. AI systems have already failed repeatedly: facial recognition software has led to false arrests, AI hiring systems have favoured male applicants over women, and healthcare algorithms have misjudge clinical needs —especially for patients from minority groups—leading to missed care that could save lives. The problem isn’t just who uses AI; it’s who builds it . Women currently make up just 35 per cent of employees in US tech firms yet only 40 per cent of...