Gender Gaps: Inequality in Work & Society
Gender inequality persists globally, seen in workplace pay gaps, leadership underrepresentation, and societal biases. This impacts individual lives and economic progress.
Topics: individual and values, politics
Example
The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that women worldwide are paid about 20% less than men on average. In a March 2025 brief, it reported that women hold only about 3 in 10 managerial positions, up only slowly over two decades, with fewer still in top leadership. The ILO links these gaps to women doing most unpaid care work and to bias in hiring and promotion.
Key facts
- The ILO estimates that women are paid about 20% less than men worldwide on average.
- The ILO reported in March 2025 that women hold only about 3 in 10 managerial positions worldwide.
Limitations
- Global averages hide large differences between countries, and part of the raw pay gap reflects differences in jobs and hours, which are themselves shaped by care duties and bias.
Evaluations
individual and values evaluation
Support
Women holding only about 3 in 10 manager roles, despite being educated as well as men in many countries, suggests talent is being wasted.
Counterargument
Some of the gap reflects choices, such as working part-time to care for children, which people may make freely.
Rebuttal
Those choices are shaped by expectations that women do most unpaid care, so 'choice' and constraint are hard to separate.
Additional support
Singapore's shared parental leave and expanded paternity leave aim to spread care duties more evenly, addressing a root cause.
politics evaluation
Support
Pay transparency laws, such as the EU's 2023 directive requiring firms to report gender pay gaps, show governments acting on the evidence.
Counterargument
Quotas and reporting rules can be seen as heavy-handed, and firms may meet targets on paper without changing culture.
Rebuttal
Reporting makes the problem visible, which is a condition for change, even if it does not guarantee it.
Additional support
The ILO notes progress has been slow over two decades, which suggests voluntary approaches alone have not closed the gap.
Sources
- International Labour Organization (2018-11-26): Global Wage Report 2018/19: What lies behind gender pay gaps
- International Labour Organization (2025-03-07): Women in business and management brief (International Women's Day 2025)