In the debate on wage inequality by gender, there are still many sides by shape to have a complete understanding of this variant of inequality that still suffer from our advanced societies. In the analysis of this strand emphasizes what are the figures, lower salary levels means for women. But it is necessary to elaborate on the differential factors that explain this fact. This article looks at occupational differences and type of day, which are on the basis of wage discrimination that penalize women, finding that both are related to the unequal division of household tasks that remain in force in our societies. For women established a sort of competition between unpaid work and paid his offer to penalize the labour market in quantity and quality ¹ .

Words clave. wage inequality, gender gap, qualifications.

In the debate on gender pay inequality, there are still many aspects to be outlined to have a complete understanding of this variant of inequality that our advanced societies still suffer from. In analyzing this facet, we insist on what the figures show lower average salary levels for women. Still, it is necessary to delve deeper into the differential factors that explain this. This article delves into the occupational and type of work differences, which are at the base of the wage discrimination that penalizes women, finding that both are also related to the unequal distribution of domestic tasks that are still in force in our societies. For women, a competition between unpaid and paid work penalizes their supply for labour market in quantity and quality.

The “ gender pay gap ” refers to the gap between the average wage for women with regard to male students. Not very often refer to its content, displaying it sometimes as representing a less complex reality of what is in fact atendiéramos. If a literal interpretation seems to me that we would be talking about wage differentials between men and women, but we may be misinterpreting the concept of salary. And simplify complex often have poor results when interpreting and thereby address the causes that generate the problem in question, obscuring and shirking effective solutions.

We live even engaged in what has been termed “ emergency of the emancipation of women ”, with emphasis on the “ elimination of economic inequalities, particularly on discrimination in employment refers and disparities in the proceeds and property rights ” (Robert Skidelsky, 2018 ). However, in most western societies, formally, has been reached in the Area of law the principle that provides for equal pay for similar work, regardless of the gender of workers. In the case of spain have legislation that guarantees a lot longer, with a broad scope, in legal terms, this is not wage discrimination. That is, in this perspective, strictly speaking, legally “ wage ”, there is, overall, significant gender gap.

And, if by “ wage ”, policy or conveniadamente, we understand, payment (monetary or in kind) for a given work unit (one hour a day, a month) or even, more extensive in the amount of money that is assigned a worker for a certain time or for the realization of a specific job, there is no reason to expect, in developed societies, and unless specific legal gaps or breaches of the rules (that is what often happens), that men and women have different salaries for the biological fact differ.

Another thing to talk of payreferring to the amount actually perceives a worker in a given period of time (week, month, etc.) and related to the hours worked in the period and certain characteristics of working made valued by companies, (in short, the productivity of such work, better or worse estimate). The distinction between one and another concept, “ wage ” and “ pay ” that here we have been commenting on, it is not a mere academic exercise in rhetoric, but also different considerations in its political action, when setting priorities for eradicating differences in labour markets.

Thus, in general, no substantial differences in the “ legal ” or wages concert regulated between men and women. In collective agreements, instruments that set the salaries for the majority of the working population in our country, are not wage gap of any kind because of the employee's gender. In the tables in wages which are reflected in these instruments, wages are established by categories, unitary amounts of hazard pay entitlements to implement or other elements of the pay, in no case differ depending on the gender of employees.

Efforts should therefore bear in mind that the differences in wages between different genders not come from both the differences in pay regulated or established in the convention and into the labour market of social discrimination suffered by women to join the productive activity of monetary and during their development. Situation that involves various implications of gender discrimination of the worker.

And this is where we note that the differences in wages by gender are anchored in at least two key elements for determination. The available statistics, as we shall see, confirms a clear and meridiana this type of argument. Such differences become reality, of the one hand, on the discrepancies observed in the insertion in the labour market between genders and, subsequently, in the career of both and, moreover, during the time frame and dedication to the labour market (paid) linked to competition, between paid work and domestic work (invisible, described as Maria Angeles Durán, 2017 and 2018 ), to the detriment of women in access and remuneration of the first ^{2 .}

In the data shown in figure 1 you can see the level of the gender pay gap in the case of spain, with two different indicares them, the first to annual wages (with INE data) and the second hourly wages (with EUROSTAT data). The differences in the absolute value of both indicators are due to reduced working hours performed by women (among other reasons for the further proliferation of part-time work among them) (Figure 5 ). The most appropriate indicator, to avoid the bias of the day, it would be the thrust of european statistics (salary or remuneration per hour), and yet the statistical office of the european commission notes that “ indicator has been defined as non-adjusted because it provides an overall image of gender inequalities in terms of wages and a concept that is broader than that of equal pay for equal work ” (EUROSTAT, 2022 ). We therefore need to adjust the indicator, homogeneizándolo to achieve the compared in terms of “ equal work ” (by occupation, category, type of day, etc.).

Secondly, the figure 1 also indicate the improvements both indicators from 2013 / 15 (more indicator INE), after a slight rise over the years of the Great Recession. Among 2008 and 2021 the wage gap between the sexes has declined the 16 percent; and if the comparison is between 2013 and 2021 the decline is 23 percent. To Eurostat data the decline in the first period would be 45 percent, while between 2012 and 2021 would have been 52 . Of what one might conclude that cyclical effects of changes and gender composition of the employment structure apart, policies and gender-equality plans which have been adopted in recent years could gradually be having an effect, that is to improve its efficiency.

And, on the other hand, the figure 2 it also gives us a vision of the spanish reality in this area with regard to some eu countries. With these data are confirms what we saw on the evolution of the gender pay gap with INE statistics. The indicator is reduced from 2013 with more intensity to Spain for the average eu countries. And, in parallel, it appears that the average level of this indicator is the most lower within the eu, only higher than in Italy, between the countries mentioned in this figure.

As has been pointing out, efforts should therefore bear in mind that the differences in wages between different genders not come from both the differences in pay regulated or established in the convention, and into the labour market of social discrimination suffered by women to join the productive activity of monetary and during their development. We have to deepen the differential features the use of man and woman to understand in depth the dispersion in the wages between them. This is the deepening of the analysis where we note that the differences in wages by gender are anchored in at least two key elements for determination. The available statistics, as we shall see, confirms a clear and meridiana this type of argument. Such differences become reality, of the one hand, on the discrepancies observed in the insertion in the labour market between genders and, subsequently, in the career of both and, moreover, during the time frame and dedication to the labour market (paid) and the competition is established for this purpose, between paid work and household chores and care for others, to the detriment of women in access and compensation in the first.

so the wage gap is still high.

catering trade ). These occupations are precisely where the lowest wages, which is a fundamental explanatory factor for the gender gap. This describes the occupational segregation. This phenomenon causes that women in occupations with lower pay and register children likely to promote in a professional career. In this way, the wage gap, present since the start of the race, increases as workers reach higher labour stadiums, protect the existence of the concept known as .

Indeed, following this explanation is rare to see in top positions in the occupational Level women and, of course, few with children in age of more intensive care.

In the profile of women in directives – in relative terms, quantitatively escasas- often elaborate who bear little family responsibilities, because education on the basis of gender roles ends by allocating these tasks to women to a greater extent, stifling their development in the area of employment.

Similarly, if we look to the data, you can easily check that the branch of activity with greater presence on is that of female health.

Traditionally, women have been closely linked to careers relating to the health sciences. This is due to the activities of this branch are allocated to them qualities relating to the culture of care, virtues that are identified with the feminine gender according to the gender roles, as happens with the work of upbringing. Even so only in the positions of greater training in this branch of activity, namely, that requires university studies and have greater social and wage recognition can find examples that illustrate the reasons for the existence of this gap.

According to data from the national statistics institute, the percentage of its members in the medical 2022 is 53 , 4 percent, while, if we speak of nurses, a profession with a lower pay within the spectrum of the high qualification, the presence of women 84 , 2 percent. In other words, the problems not only are born of the process of inclusion and the difficulty of attaining high-ranking posts along his career, but that, even when choosing studies, women are influenced by the gender roles, so that their career paths are subordinate to social clichés from the outset ³ .

And this is so despite initially of a career spanish women exhibiting a greater level of formal education. According to the national institute of Statistics, in the fourth quarter of 2023 the educational level of the female workforce – until the youngest 30 - was markedly higher than among men: 55 , 9 percent of them had completed higher education compared to 42 , 4 % for males. Thus, more education, by itself, is not sufficient to achieve greater equity.

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In this regard, it is also striking as in some european countries the gender pay gap in average for all economic activities is higher in the public and private sector, unlike in the case of spain, this is happening in france,

Finland or the uk. This may be linked to the different occupational structure that characterizes the public sectors of these countries, with regard to the deprived, comparing with other countries like spain and germany, where it is the opposite.

In general, women work less hours for the market because they spend more hoursinvisible workor domestic unremunerated work. Obviously, at a lower number of hours worked, the lower overall remuneration (daily, monthly). 5 we are shown as in all occupations women work less hours effective in occupations in the market. And differences in days are more the lower qualification attributable to the occupation, as witnessed before. Thus, in the elementary occupations women work for around five hours per week, at least 30 minutes, with respect to men, which is about 12 per cent of the day of these

However, women worked in a total 30 per cent more time than men because they spend on domestic work (unpaid) almost double the amount of time than men, and, accordingly, much less time paid employment (Figure 6 ).

Why then, in the labour markets is occupational discrimination (in terms of level of qualifications, integration and in professional careers) and, by extension in the wages, systematically against women?

Select the market in terms of performance, looking for the maximization of profit, but may not be this its sole objective (yes generically). you may even select according to the expectations of differences in performance between women and men, to interpret, because of social roles allocated to women, at some point (as contained in age, 6 ) reduced availability of work for the market owing to high domestic workload it assumes.

In sum, the role of businesses, and the market, interprets that women develops a lower level of productivity in the course of their working lives as a result of what the ilo defined as the “ gap of maternity ” (ILO, 2018 : 78 and ILO, 2015 ), but also by greater asunción of domestic work and, increasingly, of care, not necessarily linked to the gap of which this international body. That is why this agency's understanding that motherhood triggers the pay gap.

In addition to the differences within the workforce, are the problem of the output of a significant number of women in the labour market by unpaid obligations. The rate of inactivity in women for reasons of care of children and the sick, was significantly higher than in men. If we look at the data, the differences are particularly great in stages where women are more likely to be mothers.

In turn, these age ranges are extremely important in determining the success of a person in his career. These downtime professionals, resulting from the deployment of the female gender care, not only have a direct economic involvement caused by the lack of income obtained from work, but may have an impact on the reintegration into the labour market after the end of the stage at which require more care. If these periods of inactivity extend in time; it can produce the so-called obsolescence skills acquired. Companies can interpret human capital for these women acquired either through education, or training, has a less helpful, as has been obsolete for a long period of time. Something similar can occur from the point of view of women returning to seek work, as they may have a lower security to be submitted to offers of jobs that require a high qualification.

This explains how, for example, the wage gap is widening, extensively with age, as well as in the occupations or sectors most typically female occupations.

education in equality, to reduce the income gap proves to be borne by society as a whole lot of the costs of caring for children, dependent and/or higher. That is social policy go in the family - pure state, one of our major shortcomings. This is the way in which they transit countries are getting better results on gender equity, particularly in the area of employment. The examples, here too, are in the north of our continent: day care services for the unit or to the third age. This is to take outside the family such functions without this meaning family bond.

There is No magic recipes, of course, but denmark and sweden are doing well and reasonable progress recorded in the reactivation of their birth rates. As in so many facets of our development, the pursuit of equality is not incompatible with achieving efficiency.

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