Gender Wage Gap in Georgia

Research about the reasons for the significant gender pay gap and development of a methodology for labour cost assessment and policy recommendations to improve compliance of Georgian legislation and policy with the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951, No. 100.

Despite the reference to “equal work” instead of “work of equal value” in the Labour Code, the application of this provision might nevertheless result in a narrowing of the gender wage gap. Labour inspection now has the mandate to control labour rights and only needs an instrument to use in inspections.

The document provides analysis of the reasons for persistent significant gender pay gap in Georgia and provides insights into addressing them, through policy and legislative initiatives on changes and amendments in the labour and other relevant legislation to bring it in compliance with the ILO Convention #100. The research further provides methodology of labour cost assessment. As the gender wage gap can be seen in more detail at company level, it is necessary to have two different methods to evaluate this gap: the first to be used by GeoStat (Georgia’s state statistics committee) to assess the gap at the national level and the second to be used by individual companies for ensuring equal pay for work of equal value.

The report was prepared under the auspices of the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC) with the support of the International Labour Organization within the Project “Inclusive labour markets for job creation in Georgia”, funded by the Government of Denmark (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark).