Nathalie Fontanet is “revolted” by the salary difference of almost 8% between men and women revealed by a recent study in Geneva. The president of the Geneva Council of State fears that prevention alone is not enough and calls for stronger controls.
“This figure of 7.9% difference revolts me, because we are not sure that prevention is enough to reduce this difference in remuneration for equal skills, activity rate and characteristics,” the finance manager said on Saturday. cantonal in the RTS show Forum.
It is essential to encourage women to be more demanding when accepting positions, as men negotiate their first salary more often. In addition to increasing controls, we also need to encourage women to assert themselves more and believe in their skills, she says.
We need to encourage women to be more demanding. Men negotiate their first salary, while women are less daring to do so
To progress, Nathalie Fontanet hopes that a global approach will offer effective solutions: “We must start with prevention, then strengthen controls and, if necessary, apply sanctions.”
Business competitiveness requires female inclusion
According to the PLR ”minister”, state employees on the whole are well treated in terms of salaries, even if we must “remain attentive”. As for private employers, they are “very attentive” to improving the situation.
A company with diversity and balanced female representation has been proven to make more profits than those that do not.
She emphasizes the importance of diversity and equal pay, not only for ethical reasons, but also for economic reasons. In a context of labor shortage, maximizing the potential of all human resources, including women, is crucial for the performance and competitiveness of businesses.
Part inexplicable
The analysis, published Thursday and carried out by the Cantonal Statistics Office, had revealed an “alarming” net pay gap of 27% to the disadvantage of women in 2022.
The difference is mainly explained by the over-representation of women in low-paid professions and in part-time activities. The persistence of stereotypes that prevent women from accessing positions of responsibility also plays a role.
In addition, a minority, but nevertheless significant, part of the gap turns out to be inexplicable. It shows that with equal skills, characteristics and activity rates, women still earn 7.9% less than men.
Comments collected by: Valentin Emery
Adaptation web: agence/Miroslav Mares
