Baldeosingh: T&T’s gender pay gap is situated on “a farrago of fake facts”

“The average male wage in 2008 (the last Labour Force Report) was TT$4,640 a month and the female was TT$3,758. Among male officials and managers, the mean salary was just over TT$8,000 a month, while women earned TT$5,000. Among male professionals, the mean monthly salary was over TT$11,500 whereas for females it was just under TT$10,000.

“In the elementary occupations, men earned TT$2,800 and women TT$2,000. Thus, we have an overall wage differential of 23 percent between men and women. This, however, is not the whole story…”

In the following Letter to the Editor, satirist Kevin Baldeosingh from Freeport suggests that the wage gap between the sexes in Trinidad and Tobago might be fake news:

Photo: A depiction of the wage gap between the sexes.

From hyperbolic claims that police officers and doctors are “dismissive and rough” to rape victims to hysterical assertions that “women are fighting for the right to love,” last Thursday’s International Women’s Day was defined by a farrago of fake facts.

It would be irksome to refute all the specific laments but one issue reveals the typical misrepresentations: the complaint made by many IWD spokeswomen about the wage gap between men and women in T&T.

None of these women presented any actual statistics and, although one article in Business Newsday cited a 60 percent gap, that report also claimed that the average man in T&T earns an absurdly high salary of TT$20,000 a month while women earn TT$11,000.

However, the average male wage in 2008 (the last Labour Force Report) was TT$4,640 a month and the female was TT$3,758. Among male officials and managers, the mean salary was just over TT$8,000 a month while women earned TT$5,000. Among male professionals, the mean monthly salary was over TT$11,500 whereas for females it was just under TT$10,000. In the elementary occupations, men earned TT$2,800 and women TT$2,000.

Thus, we have an overall wage differential of 23 percent between men and women. This, however, is not the whole story. First of all, there are more men than women in the labour force—74 percent of men as compared to 52 percent of women. This means that the average must be skewed in favour of men.

Photo: The gap between the sexes.

Among managers and officials, the LFR recorded 16 percent more men than women while, in the basic jobs, there are one-third more men than women. In the professional category, however, women outnumber men by nine percent. But this is still not the whole story.

When you look at hours, men worked 39 hours per week while women worked 38 hours. This would reduce the raw differential in wages since men are getting paid more for more work. Among professionals—where, remember, women outnumber men—in the 33-40 hours range, 22 percent more women than men work these hours. However, twice as many professional men worked more than 41 hours a week compared to women and twice as many men as women also worked two jobs.

All of which means that, once all these factors are considered, women earn at worst about 15 percent less than men. If you include women’s career choices, that gap effectively shrinks to zero.

More from Wired868
Dear Editor: The high social cost of abandoning community programmes when gov’ts change

“[…] Governments come and go, and with them their pet projects, regardless of whether those initiatives were making a difference. Read more

A bacchanal foretold: Has new Govt worsened CoP crisis?

“[…] If my contract has ended, how can I be sent on any binding vacation leave that extends beyond the Read more

Dear Editor: When will we stop losing Zwades and truly invest in our children?

“[…] Why, in the aftermath of each young life lost, does the immediate response so often centre on government coffers Read more

Dear Editor: Forget red or yellow affiliations, let’s put T&T first

“[…] Trinidad and Tobago belongs to all of us. Patriotism isn’t about red or yellow… It’s about loving this country Read more

Dear Editor: Prime Minister should withdraw reckless comments on alleged “UNC lawyers”

“[…] As a former attorney general and current holder of the designation ‘senior counsel’ (senior advocate of the Supreme Court), Read more

Dear Editor: UNC has opportunity to shift T&T’s political culture—but are they capable?

“[…] The PNM’s defeat was not merely a result of shifting political allegiances but a reflection of deeper dissatisfaction among Read more

Check Also

Dear Editor: The high social cost of abandoning community programmes when gov’ts change

“[…] Governments come and go, and with them their pet projects, regardless of whether those …

3 comments

  1. the worst thing to have is a woman in a senior management position when she has her period

  2. Men need more money to afford “stress management therapy” brought on by most women. A simple statement like ” Honey, my nails need a reviver” while watching my pocket can send us Mt. Hope.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.