Fair Pay for Women

By SHLOMO MAITAL
Extract from an article in Issue 14, October 27, 2008 of The Jerusalem Report. To subscribe to The Jerusalem Report click here. In Lerner and Lowe's "My Fair Lady," Rex Harrison as Prof. Henry Higgins sings-speaks, "A Hymn to Him," and asks: Why can't a woman be more like a man? That's what I want to know. Why can't women be paid like men? For the same work, Israeli men are paid far more than women. Why? Why in the world have Israeli women put up with this for decades? And what can they do about it? According to the Central Bureau of Statistics' Survey of Incomes, 2006, the latest data available, male incomes are higher than female incomes in every occupation. For academic professionals, men make nearly 75 percent more than women (14,000 shekels monthly, compared to women's 8000); in management, 33 percent more; in sales, 50 percent more; and in the professions, about 30 percent more. These gaps are far higher than in the United States, where the Census Bureau reports that in 2007 women working full-time made 22 percent less than men working full-time - "the closest American women have ever come to income parity," the Census Bureau concludes. So despite extensive legislation mandating equal pay for equal work, and making gender discrimination a criminal offense, Israeli women still have a long way to go. The men have pat explanations. Men work more hours, do more dangerous jobs, are more senior. And after all, men are, well, men. Why can't a woman take after a man? Men are so friendly, good-natured and kind! According to my former colleague Dr. Shosh Shahrabani, now at the Emek Yezreel College, writing in Applied Economics Letters, "The gender wage gap [in Israel] stems mainly from gender returns rather than differences in gender characteristics." In other words: Men are not paid more because they differ from women. They are paid more just because they are men. This is after correcting for years of work experience, especially taking into account that women are more likely than men to take time off for child-rearing. There is an insidious, implied argument that because men are breadwinners, they must earn more. But today women are breadwinners, too, just as much as men. Vered Kraus's 2002 book about female labor force participation in Israel was titled "Secondary Breadwinners"; but, today, many women are the sole breadwinner. And incidentally, in management, men are not always friendly, good-natured and kind. Studies show that women are far more communicative and collaborative - precisely the qualities modern management needs and, Henry Higgins notwithstanding, that men often lack. Why is thinking something women never do? ...Can't a woman learn to use her head? Prof. Higgins, I have news for you. Israeli women are logical and analytical. They have great heads. And they are highly educated. The 2007 Global Gender Gap Report, published by the World Economic Forum, shows that in Israel men and women are quite equal in educational attainment. Nonetheless, women's salaries are much lower than those of men with the same education, the study found. And universities are the worst offenders. A study by researchers Christine Wenneras and Agnes Wold, published in the leading journal, Nature, shows that overall "female scientists [applying for scientific research grants] needed to be 2.5 times more productive than the average male applicant" in order to receive the same "competence score." In my experience, this fits Israeli universities to a T. The Global Gender Gap study found that when it comes to economic opportunity for women, Israel ranks 40th, behind Thailand and Colombia. In political empowerment, Israel ranks 32nd. Only one Knesset member in seven is a woman, and only one cabinet minister in six. True, if Zipi Livni becomes Prime Minister, Israel may be the only nation in which the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and Knesset Speaker are all women. But this anomaly will only serve to highlight how far Israel still has to go, to achieve gender justice in the middle and lower levels. The author is academic director, TIM-Tel Aviv. Extract from an article in Issue 14, October 27, 2008 of The Jerusalem Report. To subscribe to The Jerusalem Report click here.