Closing the gender pay gap: be open honest … and radical

Things are looking up for women in leadership in countries such as the UK. Statistics released by the British government in 2020 showed that just under 40% of board positions in FTSE 100 companies were held by women – an increase of almost 30% in just 10 years. And it’s not just the UK. There are signs that women’s global share of leadership is trending upwards, with the World Economic Forum reporting a three per cent rise between 2020 and 2022. The share of women hired for senior jobs around the world last year came in at 36.9%, according to its findings. But while stats like these are cause for some cheer, the overall picture remains gloomy. 

Women continue to earn less than men in virtually every sector, organization, and country in the world. In the European Union, the gender pay gap is 12.7% in gross hourly earnings. That rises to 17% in the US, with women’s median weekly earnings just 83.1% of men’s wages in 2021, according to the US Bureau of Labor. Perhaps…