Gender Mainstreaming: The Answer to the Gender Pay Gap?

Abstract

This article examines the argument that gender mainstreaming offers the way forward for closing the gender pay gap. It juxtaposes research on the process of gender mainstreaming with our account of the processes involved in Australian state government Inquiries into the gender pay gap since the late 1990s. We indicate that the continuous process of analysis and response that gender mainstreaming can offer demands political will, intensive links between research and action, and adequate resourceswhich means that gender mainstreaming is seldom delivered in practice. We use our account of the Australian Inquiries to argue that, provided adequate political and financial resources are in place, the gender pay gap can be narrowed through the institutional mechanisms of an industrial relations system but that the regulatory approach is limited by its vulnerability to changes in industrial relations policy. The article concludes that, whatever strategy is used to narrow the gender pay gap, it must be able to show those who use and observe it that gender itself is a continuous, effortful and political process.

Multiple Disadvantage and Wage Growth: The Effect of Merit Pay on Pay Gaps

“…For example, in the United States, people from ethnic minorities are reported to be offered wages that are lower by 10 percent to 19 percent compared to their white counterparts (Neumark, ; Weinberger, ). However, in the context of equal pay legislation, differences in entry‐level pay for men and women are less likely to be due to direct discrimination by employers than was previously the case, and more likely to result from continuing occupational segregation and lower pay in feminized work (Black & Spitz‐Oener, ; Eveline & Todd, )—itself arising from institutional devaluing of women's work (Sayers, ), gender differences in wage bargaining power, or women's choices (Amaran, ; Hakim, ). Similar (though not directly equivalent) arguments are expounded in the debates around entry‐level wage gaps affecting ethnic minorities, disabled people, and older/younger workers (Malo & Pagán, ; Shapiro & Sandell, ; Weinberger, ).…”

From evidence to action: Applying gender mainstreaming to pay gaps in the Welsh public sector

“…The research makes an important contribution to a small, but developing, evidence base on the implementation of gender mainstreaming — a strategic interventionist perspective on gender equality in public policy, characterized by ‘a responsible plan of action anchored to a complex interweaving of research findings and gender analysis’ (Eveline & Todd, , p. 173). Reflective of a gender mainstreaming approach, the duty required gender employment information by job, grade, working pattern, contract type and pay in order to facilitate understanding of the causes of gender pay gaps.…”

“…Employers then grasped the opportunity and responsibility for making transformative change to gendered employment structures within their own organizations, consistent with a gender mainstreaming approach (Eveline & Bacchi, ). It suggests that in addition to ‘political will, intensive links between research and action, and adequate resources’, a fourth element — proactive organizational engagement — is also likely to be critical to the success of any gender mainstreaming intervention (Eveline & Todd, , p. 536).…”

“…The slow progress on reducing pay gaps has led many to advocate the adoption of a gender mainstreaming approach, a strategic activist intervention deemed especially appropriate to the public sector due to its ability to ‘link explanation to action’ and stimulate a ‘continuous process of analysis and response’ (Eveline & Todd, , p. 551). Whilst there are few examples of effective gender mainstreaming (Moser, ; Rubery, Grimshaw, & Figueredo, ) indicate its potential for application to gender pay settings, due to its multifaceted and systemic approach and consequent ability to focus attention onto organizational practices and processes, rather than differences between men and women.…”

Att skapa drivkrafter för lärande och förändring : En studie om jämställdhetsintegrering och dess förutsättningar i en kommun

“…För det fjärde kritiseras det faktum att jämställdhetsintegrering är ett arbete som måste ske kontinuerligt utan slut eftersom det riskerar att leda till att strategin blir målet istället för ökad jämställdhet (Eveline & Todd 2008). …”