When it comes to the issue of whether pay is pegged at the gender factor, are men paid more than women in a like-for-like job? Apparently so, according to key findings from an occasional paper on “Singapore’s Adjusted Gender Pay Gap” by the Manpower Research and Statistics Department (MRSD) of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the National University of Singapore.
Singapore’s adjusted (we explain below) gender pay gap (GPG) was 6.0 per cent in 2018, a figure than has shifted downwards from the one cited in 2002 at 8.8 per cent. This is after taking into account factors such as industry, occupation, age and education.
Singapore’s adjusted gender pay gap at 6 per cent is also lower than USA’s 8 per cent and Canada’s 7.7 – 8.3 per cent.
In 2018, Singapore’s unadjusted median gender pay gap of full-time employed residents was 16.3 per cent. This is not to be confused with the adjusted concept, which looks at equal pay for equal work and measures men and women of the same characteristics in terms of age, education, occupation, industry and usual hours worked.
The unadjusted concept captures gender differences in productive characteristics between men and women such as age, education, occupation, industry, years of experience, discrimination, etc.
According to a press release issued by MOM, women still earn less than men after adjustment. This could be due to the adjusted model being unable to measure factors such as the length of work experience and job preferences that impact wages.
Women typically play the primary role in caregiving for children and the elderly, possibly reducing their time and experience at work which can affect career progression and earnings.
The press release said: “The Government’s support for more shared care-giving responsibilities between men and women – such as through shared parental leave, and promotion of family-friendly workplace practices (e.g. Tripartite Standards on Flexible Work Arrangements and Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs) aims to reduce the effects of such social norms,”
However, women today have been steadily rising on the job front. They have a higher education now, as the following figures show – those with diploma and above in 2018 registered 71 per cent, compared to 36 per cent in 2002. There has also been a higher labour participation by women at 80.8 per cent and 65.2 per cent in the respective years.
They have also moved into more professional, manager, executives and technician jobs, with 46 per cent in 2018 compared to 39 per cent in 2002.
