Elham Asaad Buaras
Women of Bangladeshi and Pakistani descent in the UK earn roughly a third less per hour than white British men, according to a pay gap study, which ruled the findings “should be causing national outrage.”
According to wage data, mixed-race women and women of black Caribbean descent earn 25 per cent less than their white male counterparts.
The Fawcett Society released the findings on January 8, which has been designated as Ethnicity Pay Gap Day 2024. Researchers examined statistics contained in a large gender pay gap report produced by the campaign group last November. The findings demonstrate large variances across groups of women, with an even greater disparity among men.
According to Alesha De-Freitas, head of strategy at Fawcett, the ethnicity pay gap is “creating double trouble for Black and minoritised women” in the UK. “The figures that we have here are so very stark,” she said. “The fact that women of Bangladeshi heritage are earning on average almost a third less per hour than white British men should be causing national outrage.”
According to the findings, there is a 14.7 per cent salary disparity between women of Bangladeshi and Pakistani backgrounds and white British women. Compared to white British men, the figure is 28.4 per cent .
Between women of Black Caribbean heritage and white British men, the gap is 25 per cent .
Dianne Greyson, founder of the annual Ethnicity Pay Gap Day, urged the government to implement obligatory ethnicity pay gap reporting.
“Ultimately, unless companies know what their pay gap is and who it hits hardest, then how can they begin to close it?
“We need more employers sharing knowledge and putting this issue at the top of their agenda, and I’m looking forward to discussing this further at our ethnicity pay gap summit in February.”
The Fawcett report recognises bias as a primary cause of ethnicity and gender wage disparities. According to the survey, 75 per cent of women of colour have experienced workplace racism, and 42 per cent had been passed over for promotion despite receiving positive feedback. The percentage for white women is 27 per cent .
De-Freitas said mandatory reporting worked. “Mandatory gender pay gap reporting has effectively exposed and driven action to close the gender pay gap,” she said.
“We are urging the government to make ethnicity pay gap reporting mandatory as well. But we must go further and ensure that companies with persistent gaps are required to publish action plans for closing and are held to account when they do not.”
(Photo credit: Hartono Subagio/Pixabay)
