March 6, Pozirk. Employers in Belarus pay men 20–25 percent more than women, Deputy Labor Minister Valeryj Kavalkoŭ told reporters.
The Labor Code prohibits linking salaries to employees’ gender, Kavalkoŭ said, but the gap exists because of “women’s professions.”
“Salaries in the budget-funded sector are lower than in manufacturing, where most workers are men,” he said.
The gender pay gap is also regional. For example, in Minsk the highest salaries are in the IT sector.
In the Minsk region, Biełaruśkalij potash miners are the highest paid, but the company employs mostly men, according to the minister.
“Men work in harmful industries. We protect our women, we protect their reproductive health. That’s why men get paid more, this is due to their profession.” Kavalkoŭ said.
According to the International Labor Organization, the global gender pay gap is between 16 and 22 percent. Women can close it if they join high-paid high-tech professions, including in IT, ILO experts said.
In June last year, the Belarusian government shortened the list of jobs banned for women from 181 to 88. It includes lifting and moving heavy objects by hands, welding and fighting fire.
