Finland is planning to introduce a law, where employees will have the liberty to check how much salary their colleagues are earning. In case they have any doubts of discrimination, in terms of pay, they are free to check out the salaries of others working with them. The Finnish government hopes this law will help bring about pay parity in the country, especially between men and women.
The Bill is expected to be passed in the parliament by 2023. However, there are many, such as workers’ unions that believe such a law, if enacted, will lead to more conflicts at the workplace.
According to the pay equality index of 2020 published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Finnish women earn 17.2 per cent less than men.
The survey placed Finland in the 37th position, well behind peers Norway in the eighth, Denmark in the ninth and Sweden in the 12th position. This is surprising, because the Country has had gender equality high on its political agenda for decades.
The reason for the inequality, according to experts and researches, is that many employers have biases towards women. They tend to give more opportunities to men, especially in male-dominated professions and sectors. Another reason is that male employees do not take many parental leaves. More women have to take leave to fulfil their responsibilities as mothers and caregivers at home. Therefore, women are unable to go up the corporate ladder or occupy senior leadership posts.
