- 4/29/2025 5:56:35 PM
Achieving Equal Pay for Equal Work
Despite decades of progress, one fact remains stubbornly true: women, on average, are still paid less than men.
This gap affects livelihoods, limits opportunities, and slows down economic and social development for everyone. As we move deeper into the 21st century, closing the gender pay gap is no longer optional. It is essential for building fairer, more sustainable societies.
Here’s a quick look at where we stand today.
Equal pay for equal work is a fundamental human right (UDHR, Article 23), yet today, women still earn about 20% less than men globally (Focus 2030, UN Women). Progress has been surprisingly slow. At the current rate, it could take 134 years to close the global gender gap (World Economic Forum, 2024). Even in OECD countries, closing the pay gap could take 46 years (PwC Women in Work 2025). The gap looks different across regions: Europe leads with 75% of the gender gap closed, though disparities persist (Eurostat).
North America shows stagnation, with women earning about 84-85% of men's wages (Statista).
Asia sees countries like South Korea and Japan struggling with some of the highest gaps (OECD).
Africa presents mixed progress. For instance, Rwanda has one of the highest female workforce participation rates globally (86%), yet women there still earn just 88 cents for every dollar earned by men (The Borgen Project, 2024) — showing that high participation does not automatically mean pay equality.
The cost of inequality is huge: lower living standards, higher poverty among women (especially single mothers and the elderly), lost economic growth, and weakened social cohesion (UN Women Gender Snapshot 2024).
What drives the gap?
Occupational segregation: Significantly higher numbers of women are working in lower-paying sectors like care and education.
Unequal care responsibilities: Globally, women perform approximately two and a half to three times more unpaid care and domestic work than men (UN Women).
Bias and underrepresentation: Only 27.5% of managerial roles globally are held by women (World Economic Forum 2024).
Why closing the gap matters even more today
Economic growth: Achieving gender parity could add up to $12 trillion to global GDP (UN Women).
Education multiplier effect: Ensuring every girl completes secondary education could boost the global economy by up to $30 trillion (World Bank via Social Studies Help, 2024).
Climate resilience: Gender inequality increases climate change vulnerability. By 2050, climate change could push 158 million more women and girls into poverty, 16 million more than men and boys (UN Women, 2025).
Food security: Today, 47.8 million more women than men face hunger and food insecurity (UN Women, 2025).
The gender pay gap is not just a "women's issue." It is a barrier to achieving resilient, sustainable societies.
What’s working?
Pay transparency laws: In the EU and other regions, transparency requirements help expose wage gaps and foster accountability (OECD).
Certification models: Iceland requires companies to prove equal pay for work of equal value, contributing to its global leadership in gender parity (World Economic Forum).
Global coalitions: The Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC), co-led by ILO, UN Women, and OECD, now includes 63 member countries pushing for pay equality by 2030 (ILO, 2024).
Care infrastructure: Access to affordable childcare and parental leave helps ease the unpaid care burden that keeps many women from full economic participation.
Equal pay is not just fair. It is smart economics. Achieving it can pave the way to enormous potential for growth, resilience, and justice worldwide. The time for incremental steps is over. Closing the gender pay gap is a human rights imperative, a business opportunity, and a building block for a truly sustainable future.