leadership matters
HR Professionals Can Play a Key Role in
Closing the Gender Wage Gap
HR professionals are uniquely positioned to
help ensure pay equity between men and
women because they can spot potential biases
and can educate managers about the issue
and advise effective solutions, according to Closing the
Gender Wage Gap: A Review and Recommendations
by the Human Resources Professionals Association
(HRPA).
And regulated HR professionals – CHRPs,
CHRLs and CHREs – have a duty to protect the
public by helping close the wage gap under their professional
obligations to HRPA, the regulator of the
HR profession in Ontario.
Authored by Scott Allinson, HRPA’s vice president
of public affairs, the report examined existing pay equity
research, as well as the results of a survey of 912
HRPA members, to provide a series of recommendations
for both government and business on ending a
problem that is costing the Canadian economy $168
billion per year in lost income.
The report looks at factors (often the result of unconscious
biases) associated with the gender wage gap
at various stages of a woman’s life, from childhood education
to the workplace. They include education and
choosing a career path; negotiating; getting hired;
wage transparency; performance evaluations; and
workplace flexibility.
For example, in early life, many young women
may segregate themselves from higher paid careers
in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) fields because of a “stereotype threat” in
math and science, making them less likely to express
interest in these fields for fear of being judged by negative
stereotypes. It’s also a problem that follows women
who do pursue STEM careers, with studies showing
male faculty can have an unconscious bias that men
are more competent and hirable than women.
In the workplace, one study examined in the report
looked at gender differences when evaluating job applications
and found negative gender biases at play
when interviewers rated women and men with identical
qualifications – especially in male-dominated
occupations.
And regarding workplace flexibility and balancing
work and child or elder care (which is still primarily
done by women), other research has shown that women
with children may be penalized compared to those
without. Biases may cause mothers to be seen as less
competent, and offered lower starting salaries.
HR’S ROLE IN CLOSING THE GAP
HR professionals can play an important role in helping
to reduce the gender wage gap because they are
uniquely positioned to be able to spot the influence of
potential stereotypes and biases in others, and also educate
managers and supervisors about the issue and
effective solutions – but only if they are equipped with
the proper resources.
When asked whether Ontario’s online gender
wage gap resources were sufficient, 66 per cent of
HRPA survey respondents said that a combination
of improved labour market research, improved career
By Brenda Clark, CHRE
ibreakstock/Shutterstock.com HRPATODAY.CA ❚ MAY/JUNE 2016 ❚ 9