Int'l Women's Day: Keter is closing the gender pay gap for women
According to the Adva Center, an organization that analyses Israeli policy, the gender pay gap has not only not disappeared with time, but has actually grown in 2020.
By SARAH BEN-NUNIn honor of International Women's Day, Keter has put up signs across its eight facilities that say 'Welcome' to men and women in Hebrew and Arabic. Designed by Michal Shomer. (photo credit: O-PRODUCTIONS)
Israeli plastic-manufacturing giant Keter announced two initiatives on Sunday in anticipation of International Women's Day on Monday: offering the same salary to women as men do in equivalent positions in the company; and pushing for the hiring of women in open positions across the board."These developments will advance the state of female employment in Israel in general, and in the Israeli manufacturing industry in particular, helping to bridge the gender pay gap," a company press release stated.According to the Adva Center, an organization that analyses Israeli policy, the gender pay gap has not only not disappeared with time, but has actually grown in 2020.For every shekel a man makes, a woman in an equivalent position will make 68.4 agorot, according to the Adva Center's report.Why is it still a thing?There aren't enough women in higher managerial positions, which are challenging for women to obtain because, among other reasons, of the demanding work hours.Socialized stereotypes are another: positions which are traditionally and typically filled by women simply have lower salaries. Additionally, the stereotype of the woman as the "second income" makes advancing and raising the pay higher, according to the Adva Center.In fact, per hourly wage, the stark difference is highlighted: men get paid 16% more than women do per the same hour of work. Those are the numbers for March.Keter pays the salaries of some 2000 Israelis across 8 infrastructures."Equality is a high value at Keter," noted Udi Sagi, the CEO of Keter.Women make up 48% of the positions in the company's main office, but that employment statistic drops to 13% when it comes to product design.The Adva Center added statistics that show that the more academic background a woman has, the greater her pay gap will be. In 2018, women with an academic degree got paid only 62% of men with an academic degree got paid.Per month, men in those positions got paid an average of NIS 19,667, while women got paid an average of NIS 12,149. The ages surveyed were between 25-54.According to the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce, Israel has half a million self-employed workers. Women make up 35% of them, at a 3% drop since the start of the pandemic.The third lockdown saw 178,000 Israelis register for unemployment. Women made p 67% of them — 119,000, according to the Taub Center, an Israeli policy research center."I see great importance in raising the next female generation of senior management here at Keter, and to the greater manufacturing community in Israel," added Sagi. "This is how we will make a revolution."Keter has additionally announced that they will offer certification and training courses, for new female employees. They currently offer 70. The courses and certifications will be available for a fee.In the US, women are estimated to earn 79 or 80 cents to every dollar a man earns.
