Poll: Should gender pay gap reporting be compulsory?
Proposed legislation on mandatory disclosures is expected to be brought to the Oireachtas soon.
A SURVEY BY consultancy firm Mercer suggested that the majority of large companies in Ireland are worried that mandatory pay gap reporting could hurt their business.
Although the vast majority of survey participants agree in principle with the reporting of gender pay gaps, the poll of some 67 large firms found that over two-thirds are concerned that compulsory disclosures might negatively impact their reputation.
The gender pay gap is measured by looking at the difference between how much men and women earn across an entire company.
Commenting on the survey, John Mercer of Mercer Ireland said gender pay gap reporting is “complex” as the rift between male and female workers is mostly caused by “the lack of career progression for women and the work and types or roles that women are more likely to do”.
Mandatory gender pay gap reporting rules for large firms came into force in the UK last year and it’s expected that similar rules will be brought to the Oireachtas in the coming weeks.
Lawmakers pushing for it say wage transparency would help to shrink the differences in payment levels between men and women.
With that in mind, we’re asking Fora readers this week: Should gender pay-gap reporting be compulsory?
