Though it isn’t a Hungarian specialty, that female wages stay below male salaries the Cabinet has initiated a consultation upon this matter. The Ministry for National Economy convokes the Permanent Consultation Forum of the Public Sector and the State – according to Világgazdaság.
On the session planned in February the problem of gender gap that concerns the entire European Union, will most likely be discussed, which indicates the operation of a wage monitoring system on a Member State level.
In the last decades not even Hungary could back out from the international trend, where women are often given 15-20 percent less for the same job as for men – described Imre Palkovics to Világgazdaság (magazine: World Economy), the president of the National Confederation of Workers’ Organisations. He reminded the European Social Charta bans countering gender discrimination, so does the act of equal opportunities. If by an employee such discrimination is reported, the Equal Treatment Authority investigates the case and applies sanctions upon proofs. On Iceland, as he stated, a specific act came into force this January, which says that there can’t be any difference between female and male wages in a similar job.
There are examples in the business sector, when gender gap can be caught out, whereas discrimination is considered to be violating the law – approved us Ferenc Dávid, the Secretary General of the National Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers. This phenomenon can be experienced throughout entire Europe, which relates to specific socio-cultural expectations and traditions. He confirmed that this approach needs to be changed; there is a need for more and more female middle- and top level managers, which elevates wage rates.
According to the data of the National Employment Service (NFSZ), a sub organisation of the Ministry for National Economy, in 2016 the average base salary of (top) managers in the private sector was for women 502 000 HUF (approx. 1600 EUR) and for men 545 000 HUF (approx. 1760 EUR), salaries for women 578 000 HUF (approx. 1870 EUR), for men 657 000 HUF (approx. 2120 EUR). Female workers in management earned 224 000 (approx. 725 EUR), men working in the same job got 286 000 HUF (approx.925 EUR) on an average.
Sector-wise, in the finance-insurance sector women were paid 417 000 HUF (approx. 1350 EUR), men 673 000 HUF (approx. 2175 EUR). In legal, management, architect jobs average female salary was 324 000 HUF (approx. 1045 EUR), whereas for male 441 000 HUF (approx. 1425 EUR) was given. In the processing industry on an average women earned 231 000 HUF (approx. 750 EUR), men 303 000 HUF (approx. 980 EUR) including manual and brain work. In the electricity industry women got 382 000 HUF (approx. 1235 EUR), while men were given 473 000 HUF (approx. 1530 EUR) in 2016. At the same time in the transport and warehousing industries according to the data of the Service women earned more 286 000 HUF (approx. 925 EUR), than men 267 000 HUF (approx. 860 EUR). The same is true in the social sector, female wages were 142 000 HUF (approx. 460 EUR), while male wages were 15 000 HUF less (approx. 410 EUR), which can arise from the different types of jobs.
In the public sector the average monthly salary of top-level male public servants was 633 000 HUF (approx. 2045 EUR), whereas same-level female workers earned 576 000 HUF (approx. 1860 EUR). In case of senior advisors female salaries were 346 000 HUF (approx. 1116 HUF), men earned 363 000 HUF (approx. 1170 EUR). Female interns earned 194 000 HUF (approx. 625 EUR), whereas men interns got 201 000 HUF (approx. 650 EUR).
The chief of recruiting of the labour agency Man at Work, Edit Farkas said to Világgazdaság: in case of job postings there is no difference between female and male wages for the same position. But the so called glass ceiling effect still can be experienced, for instance in specific engineer and R&D jobs there are no women on top-level positions.
Source: hrportal.hu