Equal Wage for Equal Work? Gender Wage Equality in Diverse Labour Market Contexts

Abstract

: Although international comparisons point to the gender pay gap (GPG) as a significant problem in the Czech labour market, until recently the GPG has not been the subject of deeper research or political attention. Using linked employer– employee data, the article answers the question of whether men and women were paid an equal wage for equal work in 2005–2020 and what part of the total GPG is caused by the segregation of women and men into different occupations, workplaces, and jobs. We also pose these questions separately for the public and private spheres, for selected industries, and for workplaces according to size. Throughout the monitored period, the GPG for equal work is around 10% and another roughly one-half of total GPG is caused by gender segregation. There has been a slight decrease since 2018, especially in workplaces with more than 5000 employees, where, however, the significance of women’s segregation into lower-paid positions is growing. The research confirmed that in more regulated, and therefore more transparent, contexts, such as the public sphere and in large workplaces (but also in small companies with up to 50 employees), the GPG for equal work is smaller than elsewhere. The results point to the need to systematically monitor the GPG and increase the transparency of remuneration systems in the workplace. In connection with the GPG, it will also be necessary to analyse the organisational processes that lead to women’s segregation into occupations, workplaces, and jobs that have lower wages, as well as the growing precarity of the Czech labour market.