Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2023, published 112nd ILC session (2024)

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) - Belarus (Ratification: 1956)

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Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Gender wage gap. For a number of years, the Committee has been asking the Government to adopt measures in order to address the persistent gender wage gap. The Committee notes the Government’s indication, in its report, that the gender wage gap has decreased from 23.4 per cent in 2014 to 21.5 per cent in 2016. It notes with regret that the gender wage gap increased back to 25.4 per cent in 2017. The Committee once again notes the persistent gender wage gaps in certain sectors: for example, in 2017, women’s average monthly wage was 76.9 per cent of that of men in industry, 74.7 per cent in finance sector and 76.3 per cent in repair of cars and motorcycles. It notes that the gender wage gap tends to be higher in sectors traditionally dominated by men and lower in sectors in which women dominate (such as in agriculture, where women’s average monthly wage was 88.7 per cent of that of men). The Government once again states that the existing gender wage gap is primarily due to the high proportion of men working in sectors of the economy that feature “unsafe and unhealthy” working conditions and intensive work and therefore high wages, such as industry, construction, transport and communication. In order to increase women’s employment opportunities, including in highly paid sectors of the economy, the Government indicates that it is revising the list of heavy manual jobs and jobs with “unsafe and/or unhealthy” working conditions in which women may not be employed, in accordance with Decision No.35 of 12 June 2014 of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. In this regard, the Committee recalls the importance of taking measures to protect the safety and health of all workers regardless of their gender, while taking account of gender differences with regard to specific risks to their health and refers to its comments under the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111). The Government also indicates that, since gender mainstreaming in education and the media is an effective tool for eliminating gender stereotypes, various aspects of training and education on gender issues are included in professional development and retraining courses for teachers who work with children, adolescents, and young people. The Committee asks the Government to strengthen its efforts to reduce the increasing gender wage gap and its underlying causes, including any prevailing stereotypes regarding women’s preferences or suitability for certain jobs, for example through awareness-raising activities and sensitization initiatives aimed at deconstructing views attributing specific skills, roles and occupations to girls, boys, men or women which are key to promoting the presence of more women in male-dominated sectors and jobs, as well as of more men in female-dominated sectors and jobs. It asks the Government to continue to provide: (i) information on the measures taken or envisaged to improve the access of women to a wider range of job opportunities, including in higher-level positions and in sectors in which they are currently prohibited to work in; and (ii) up-to-date statistics on the wages of women and men, including sex disaggregated data by industry and occupational category.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.