In University, we read ‘ A Vindication on the Rights of Women’ by Mary Wollstonecraft, published 1792.
Through the old language, you can read that while trying to prove that women should have the rights to education – she was stroking the male ego because, women needed men to agree to this equal right; education, because men had/have control. Her reasons as to why educating women would be good – ALL lead to the betterment of men.
Examples:
Wollstonecraft knew that in order for her concept of equal rights; education for women to be acknowledged, she needed to propose a reason that will make sense to men. And the sole reason – anything that will make men’s lives better in the 1800s.
In 2021, women should not have to stroke the male ego like Mary Wollstonecraft in the 1700s. However, because the Labour Ministry in Bermuda needs to gather statistics and is working towards consultations on pay equity – there is a need and that need it – transparency.
Pay Equity
The Minister of Labour, Jason Hayward JP, MP informed the listening public on an exclusive with Miss Thang that it is the responsibility of the employee to inform the employer if they they believe their co-worker is getting paid more for the same job. Based on the fact that pay equity affects women more than men, I asked my female followers to answer the question: would you find it difficult to approach your boss and tell them to increase your pay? Over 200 people and 54% said yes, they would find this difficult.
Persons also mentioned that asking about pay in the workplace is not allowed – in some companies.
Money. We all talk about it. How much we have, how much we need, how much rent is in Bermuda, cost of living, and the list goes on. Even though discussing money can be uncomfortable, I asked persons to share with me their gender, position and salary/hourly pay to start a level of transparency.
Government job salaries are public knowledge. Click here to view all the Government jobs and their salaries.
The conversation acknowledged that women do have a harder time speaking up – especially in the workplace. Others questioned the Ministers statement about employees having to inform the employer.
“How are you suppose to know how much your coworker makes?”
I asked persons if their co-worker was to ask them their salaries – would they tell them. Over 300 people voted and 57% said yes – they would tell their coworker.
Here are the results from MEDIA MAYA’S Instagram poll of persons who were willing to share their gender/position/payment.
Note: the yearly salary does not indicate whether this is the persons net pay or gross pay. When discussing payment for a job, there are a lot of factors to consider that were not included in this poll. Factors like: how long they’ve had the job, how they got the job, did they negotiate, do they have a degree, etc.
Last update: March 2, 2021 10:36
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| GENDER | POSITION | YEARLY SALARY | HOURLY PAY |
| Male | Math teacher | $79,000 | x |
| Male | HVAC tech/construction | x | $44 |
| Male | Dispatch Manager | x | $40 |
| Male | Assistant retail manager: Tourism | x | Pre covid: $20.40 now: $16.40 |
| Male | Tech | x | $32 |
| Male | Dispatcher | $97,000 | x |
| Male | Maintenance Technician | x | $28 |
| GENDER | POSITION | YEARLY SALARY | HOURLY PAY |
| Female | Reins Analyst | $72,000 | x |
| Female | Retail | x | $19.61 |
| Female | Dental Assistant | x | $25 |
| Female | IT Business Analyst | $96,000 | x |
| Female | Manager in automotive | $88,000 | x |
| Female | Hotel CSM | $70,000 *made redundant due to Covid* | x |
| Female | Waitress | x | $11 |
| Female | Aquarist (part time) | x | $12 |
| Female | Actuarial Intern (summer role) | x | $30 |
| Female | Guest Service Assistant | x | $21 |
| Female | BPT & Secretary | $72,000 | x |
| Female | Retail | x | $12.50 |
| Female | Actuary | $75,000 | x |
| Female | Teacher | $83,000 | x |
| Female | Assurance Intern | x | $20 |
| Female | Executive Assistant | $130,000 | x |
| Female | Actuarial Intern | x | $32 |
| Female | Waitress | x | $10 |
| Female | Senior Accountant | $73,000 | x |
| Female | Underwriting Assistant | $68,000 | x |
| Female | Custom Clerk | x | $26 |
| Female | Merchandiser | x | $19 |
| Female | Global Senior Manager | $200,000 | x |
| Female | Catastrophe Modeller | $85,000 | x |
| Female | HR Intern | x | $25 |
| Female | Retail | x | $15 |
| Female | Para – educator | $57,107 | x |
| Female | Emergency Medical Technician | x | $35 |
| Female | Lawyer | $160,000 | x |
| Female | Broker | $167,000 | x |
| Female | Underwriting Assistant | $91,000 | x |
| Female | After School Government Worker | x | $27 |
| Female | Accounts Clerk | $76,000 | x |
| Female | Vet Tech | $49,000 | x |
MEDIA MAYA will continue to update this story and revisit this question about once a month. To be engaged follow us on Instagram. If you want to be added to the list anonymously, send us an email at news@media-maya.com and subject line: pay equity.
We will also stay updated on the Ministry of Labour’s plan for pay equity.
