‘Clocked out.’ Irish women take to Twitter to mark gender pay gap
The gender pay gap is one of the very last frontiers to tackle in the pursuit for true equality between the sexes.
A submission from the Irish Women's Council of Ireland found that on average, childless women earn 17 per cent less than men, while working mothers earn 14 per cent less than their male counterparts.
The possible existence of a pay gap between the sexes is completely unacceptable in modern society, and worker's unions SIPTU and IMPACT are calling on women to get involved with a campaign to raise awareness for the issue.
In solidarity with the women across Ireland who are working the next 71 mins for free due to the gender pay gap #ClockedOut @IMPACTTU pic.twitter.com/LgOb2LPz5Y
— Caroline Winston (@WinstonCaroline) March 14, 2017
Women are posting their 'clocked out " selfies to mark the moment that they essentially begin working for free.
"We’re asking working women in Ireland to post a #ClockedOut selfie at 15.50 today (and every day) to mark the moment the Pay Gap kicks in," reads a Twitter post from IMPACT Trade Union.
"That is, the moment Irish women effectively stop being paid in comparison with their male colleagues."
We're asking working women in Ireland to post a #clockedout selfie each day at 15:50 to mark the moment the pay gap kicks in @labour @NWCI pic.twitter.com/yos1TJNWt5
— IMPACT Trade Union (@IMPACTTU) March 14, 2017
The submission found that there are many different reasons for the gender pay gap, one being the fact that women are "disproportionately represented in the lowest paid sectors of the economy."
While over 70 per cent of senior and managerial positions are held by men, 84 per cent of caring, leisure and other services and almost 80 per cent of administrative and secretarial positions are held by women
Because of the gender pay gap, Irish women effectively work the last 71 minutes of the day for free. Time to #CloseTheGap #clockedout pic.twitter.com/cnp6EiH6nY
— The Labour Party (@labour) March 14, 2017
So, will you be snapping yourself with the hashtag?