New Straits Times

Oscar winner fights for equal pay

-

NEW YORK: Oscar winner Patricia Arquette on Monday helped to launch a campaign at the United Nations to address the gender pay gap as Iceland said it would become the first country in the world to enforce wage equity. said at an event held during the annual UN women’s conference, the Commission on the Status of Women.

On a global average, women only make 77 cents for every dollar men earn.

A recent study by the Internatio­nal Labour Organisati­on warned that without stronger measures, it would take 70 years to close the gender wage gap.

Arquette, who won an Oscar for her role in applauded Iceland for its groundbrea­king move to end pay inequality, saying it “will be really interestin­g to see what happens in that country”.

Iceland’s Parliament will soon adopt legislatio­n requiring employers to show that they are offering equal pay.

Iceland’s Social Affairs and Equality Minister Thorsteinn Vinglundss­on said the measures could eradicate pay inequality by 2022 in his country.

“I don’t think any employee needs to work for a company that discrimina­tes. I don’t think any manager in a company wants to discrimina­te,” he said.

Olympic gold medalist and soccer star Abby Wambach said women faced pay inequality in every field, but that this discrimina­tion was blatant in sports.

“Looking across the aisle, to my counterpar­ts — Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning — they are having a much different conversati­on with themselves in their retirement than I.

“I have to worry about paying my bills and enough has to be enough,” said Wambach.

The two-week conference is focusing on women’s economic empowermen­t in the workplace.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Malaysia