SOME VIEWS TOWARDS WOMEN AND WORKPLACE PRESSURE
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The relatively large wage gap in Trinidad and Tobago is simply another implication of gender inequality in the workplace. The issue of women with comparable skills, qualifications and positions as their male counterparts, however, the payment of a lesser salary is a harsh truth associated with gender inequality, even despite laws enacted to protect female workers and ensure equal pay. In terms of women making more money than men, there are very few occupations where this is apparent. According to the 2008/2009 Household Budget Survey, carried out by the Central Statistical Office, female workers earning a higher salary relative to men are graduate teachers, government regulatory officers, computer engineers (39% more) and unspecified categories of "Professionals" and "Associate professionals". In relation to equal salaries, female university lecturers earn about the same as their male colleagues, which shows both sexes are seemingly on an equal playing field. These occupations where women earn more/ equal money as men, although, few and far between, is in fact a testament that women can shatter and surpass the glass ceiling that has afflicted them for years, an accomplishment that feminists worldwide can increasingly boast about now more than ever._________________________________________________________________________________
Although strides are being made in that women are becoming forces to be reckoned with in the workforce, the amount of occupations where women earn more/equal money than men are regrettably far less than those where they are disgracefully underpaid, simply because of their sex. According to Kevin Baldeosingh in his express newspaper article entitled, “The high price of the qualified woman” (2011), on overall, women’s average income in Trinidad and Tobago is 21 per cent less than men's, a somewhat large wage gap. The Central Bank found that this gap was largest among professionals, legislators and senior managers. The wage gaps that are prevalent in the labour force is an added deterrent for women to catapult themselves into the world of work as they must exert twice as much energy as men while still maintaining a lesser salary. It is also poignant to note however, that, professional men on average work a 38-hour week, whereas the average professional woman works 34 hours. Given the mean income of professionals in T&T, this means that women should earn $1,068 less per month than the men. As such, it is important to account for the fact that women, who are oftentimes more burdened than men (for example juggling full time jobs and home lives) are forced to work less hours which can actually be justified and accounted for by deductions in their salaries. It's sad.
As the number of women earning a higher salary than men increases in the workplace, there is a likewise increase in the number of men who feel emasculated. Many misogynists develop a complex as women gain higher positions in the workplace than they do, earning a higher salary, receiving more benefits etc .These men are not afraid to voice their sentiments and they retreat to shallow, simple-minded arguments as to why women should not be involved in the labour force, finding solace in all attempts to sabotage these powerful women. These women are oftentimes also not taken seriously not only because they are women, but also because of the jealousy they evoke as a result of their high position. Also, the changing roles of women making more money than men encourages other women to join the workforce, as they aim to be just as successful as their female colleagues, adversely affecting the dynamic even more. In contention with point 1, women making more money may also yield more respect for these women in the workplace. Their salaries may not also inspire women alone, but also men.
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Gender in the workplace, or more particularly gender inequality and discrimination, has for many years been a provocative topic which has garnered a significant amount of attention in Trinidad and Tobago. As stated by Walsh 2011, socially, economically, politically and culturally, women have been treated as second class citizens throughout history. This ideology undoubtedly rings true to some extent in Trinidad and Tobago although it surely is less intense than that of other places in the world plagued by severe gender discrimination. Gender inequality has been a matter of contention in Trinidad and Tobago as it has seen members of society either pioneering for reform and wanting to quell the issue or, the opposing side being stuck in their ways and wanting to stagnate any movements being made to eradicate it, creating a glass ceiling or unscrupulous invisible barrier for advancement up the corporate ladder for women.Traditionally, the gender roles of women were that of homemakers, whereas their partners were the breadwinners, however, with the education of women (free of cost in Trinidad and Tobago from pre-school to tertiary level), greater amounts of women have been entering the labour force, thus becoming more independent and liberated, in essence slowly but surely dissolving gender stereotypes. Women in Trinidad and Tobago have been actively advocating for their rights in the workplace since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which saw the birth of trade unions. Although historically men have been put in positions of power and ostracize women, women have fought back and continue to do so as they strive for the same incentives, wages, job opportunities and benefits as men. It's unfair but that is our Trinidad reality._________________________________________________________________________________
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| I..I'm speechless........ |
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