Today, the Reykjavík City Council discussed gender based pay inequality with Mayor Jón Gnarr presenting an 11-point plan, vísir.is reports.
Reykjavík City Hall. Photo: Páll Stefánsson/Iceland Review.
Among the ideas in the mayor’s proposal is an educational campaign for managers, revision of overtime pay, presenting thorough statistical reports to a special committee and conducting an annual review of the city’s employees’ salary.
Council member for the Left Greens, Sóley Tómasdóttir, was among today’s speakers. She pointed out that female employees of the city make on average ISK 40,000 (USD 330, EUR 245) less each month than men. In a year, that amounts to ISK 430,000 and an average of ISK 15 million during a lifetime.
Sóley also argued that the roots of gender based pay inequality lie much deeper than the 11 points of the proposal can reach. Inequality in pay reflected a general inequality in every field of society, which is impossible to measure.
During the council meeting, women on the city’s pay roll filled the audience halls, pushing for improvement.
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