Half of Czechs believe women are underpaid

Prague, Nov 4 (CTK) – Almost one-half adult Czechs believe that women in the Czech Republic have no chance of getting the same salaries as men for the same work, expert Lenka Simerska told journalists today, introducing the results of the 22 % Short of Equality project.

Women’s lower earnings are largely due to maternity and child care, men’s career ambitions and bad conditions to harmonize work and family.

One-third of those polled agree with the view that women are less capable, efficient and skilled than men.

In the EU, the Czech Republic is among the countries with the largest gap between the salaries of men and women. On average, women earn one-fifth less than men.

With its project, hinting at the Czech discrepancy between men’s and women’s earning, the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry wants to contribute to equal gender remuneration.

The project is the result not only in research, but also in the online calculator of salaries or a program to establish equal gender remuneration.

The poll was conducted on a sample of 2,030 over 17 last spring.

Some 46 percent said women in the Czech Republic had the chance of getting the same salaries as men for the same work. The opposite view is held by 49 percent. The latter view was expressed by almost three-fifths of women and two-fifths of men.

Some 83 percent cited maternity and care for children as the main cause of women’s lower earnings. Over three-fourths also said the role was played by men’s career ambitions and bad conditions to harmonize work and family.

Two-thirds of those polled pointed out of the differing representation of men and women in senior posts.

Some 60 percent warned of the upbringing and education system, which sends men and women to different fields with different salaries.

In fact, women in the Czech Republic are more educated than men, making up three-fifths of higher education graduates. However, they mostly work in less-paid jobs and only with difficulties occupy senior posts. Even on the same positions, they on average earn one-tenth less than men.

In all, the yearly difference constitutes more than one-month salary.