According to a 2018 Sporting Intelligence salary survey, men’s footballers in the English Premier League are paid more than 100 times what their counterparts in the women’s game earn. Men’s Premier League footballers earn an average of £3 million ($3.8 million) a year.
This year, the issue was highlighted during the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which recently took place in France. The United States women’s national team, which would go on to win the tournament, set the tone by filing a lawsuit in March against the U.S. Soccer Federation.
How Chinese women ‘support half the sky’ but earn much less than men
How Chinese women ‘support half the sky’ but earn much less than men
Their complaints outlined in the lawsuit focused on various aspects of their working conditions beyond wages, ranging from the quality of medical care to travel arrangements compared to their American male counterparts, who did not even qualify for the World Cup. 2018.
The fight against what American players call “institutional gender discrimination” has not been without difficulties since the 1990s. But the unprecedented global media attention generated by the last Women’s World Cup has given this issue new importance. increased, as have recent campaigns for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Some argue that women should wait until they achieve comparable success before fighting for the same pay as men, but I disagree.
It is difficult to succeed without adequate support, equal treatment and respect. This means receiving appropriate financial incentives, at least equal to those enjoyed by the opposite sex.
Opinion: Hong Kong needs to talk about the gender pay gap, not just who wears the pants or the apron
Opinion: Hong Kong needs to talk about the gender pay gap, not just who wears the pants or the apron
Female players can only improve and play on a bigger scale, attract more fans and become more popular if they get the same support, visibility, exposure, etc.
And the fight for gender equality goes beyond sport. Women deserve equal pay and equal treatment, regardless of the role they play in life.
In Hong Kong, we don’t even have a major platform like the World Cup to highlight this issue. The city appears to be one of the worst offenders when it comes to gender pay gaps.
According to the latest report from Prospect and PublicAffairsAsia, entry-level staff aged 20-24 in the communications and corporate affairs sector earn about the same salary regardless of gender, which is around US$30,000 ( 23,470 Hong Kong dollars) per year. But between the ages of 25 and 34, men start earning an average of 8.3 percent more than women, and some studies show that the pay gap gets worse with age.
Is gender pay inequality a problem in Hong Kong?
Is gender pay inequality a problem in Hong Kong?
Fighting for gender equality is not only a responsibility for everyone, but a reality.
The more support and attention we receive, the easier the battle becomes. Achieving equal pay is not just about money. It’s about bringing about a radical change in attitudes and raising awareness and respect.
We need to educate our next generation and let our children know that they all have the same chances in life, which includes giving girls the same chance to dream.
We must address the gender inequalities that are deeply rooted in our society. If generations of women remain complacent and reluctantly enter the workforce expecting lower pay than their male counterparts, then this injustice will continue.
People will continue to find poor excuses to justify lower salaries, such as the birth of a child and family obligations, but this concept is long outdated.
Hong Kong ‘discrimination’ leads to widening gender pay gap
Hong Kong ‘discrimination’ leads to widening gender pay gap
Some countries like Sweden offer extended paternity leave because their workplaces operate under the belief that women should have the choice to return to work and that it is regressive to assume that only women can care for their children. children. Some families don’t even have women to take care of the children, so why assume that it’s automatically women’s job to raise children?
There are opponents who will continue to believe that women are only fit to have children, that some women don’t deserve to be paid as much as men, or who brandish words like “hysterical” when women protest. against such prejudices.
No matter what obstacles come our way, we must continue to fight the good fight to ensure justice is served.
Women will be paid the same as men… in about 200 years
Women will be paid the same as men… in about 200 years
If these detractors present us with statistics to prove their point of view, let’s counterbalance their argument with better ones. If they continue to say that women are only good for giving birth and raising children, direct them to successful women who dominate the workplace and have a family at the same time.
It is not an easy fight, but fundamental rights are never easy to obtain; and fairness cannot have a price.
Luisa Tam is a correspondent at the Post
