Gender pay gap ‘deniers’ still out there – Lennon
MANY Irish companies are still in denial when it comes to the gender pay gap, says businesswoman and fashion guru Sonya Lennon.
The former co-presenter of RTÉ’s ‘Off The Rails’ said equal pay remained one of the major obstacles women still face in the workplace.
“One of the striking things we’ve noticed is that there are a lot of gender pay gap ‘deniers’ in Ireland,” she said. “Many individuals and workplaces refuse to acknowledge that a pay gap exists and that there are positive steps companies can take to address this.”
She made the comments ahead of a briefing at Leinster House to a new parliamentary group on equality established through a campaign by Dress for Success Dublin.
Ms Lennon founded the Dublin affiliate of the not-for-profit which provides free career advice and mentoring for women.
She revealed that she was paid less than her fellow ‘Off The Rails’ presenter Brendan Courtney even though they did the same job. She and Mr Courtney lobbied to be paid the same.
Mr Courtney offered to split the difference in pay and she accepted. “I was very lucky that I was working with a man who valued equality in all ways and set the record straight and levelled the playing field for us,” she said then.