Giving Sonam Kapoor a pay raise won?t solve the gender wage gap problem

By Kapil Talwar

The ‘F-word’ has gained traction in public discourse once again. I am, of course, talking about feminism. These days, any time of the year is that time of the year when people are taking to social media and news media to share their two cents on the matter. Discussions on gender equality do raise concerns about the existence of a gender wage gap, which is a serious, serious issue. Interestingly, nobody knows how deep the problem runs. Different researchers have come up with different, often conflicting reports. In fact, a substantial percentage of the population even thinks that the gender wage gap concept is a myth; it does not exist.

We’ve heard of the US statistics that a woman makes 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. That number may or may not be mathematically accurate given the huge challenges involved in calculating these statistics, but thankfully we don’t need a number to realise that a gender pay gap does indeed exist. It is all around us. We need to address it, just like the proverbial elephant in the room. Again, we don’t need to know the exact weight of the elephant to prove its existence. A classic example of gender-based disparity in wages in India is the salaries paid to the domestic staff. Male drivers are usually paid a substantial fee, while female domestic helps are woefully underpaid. And for some reason, drivers (mostly male) get a weekly off but house-helps (mostly female) don’t.

The problem of gender-based wage disparity is not restricted to developing nations, informal economies, or the lower echelons of the workforce. It cuts through sovereign and hierarchical barriers. It is a universal problem. It is a first, second and third world problem. It is as much a problem in the US as it is in India.

Discussions on the matter have gained momentum in recent years with many celebrities lending their voice to the movement. Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, Oprah Winfrey and Angelina Jolie are some of the big names in Hollywood to have spoken on the issue. Closer home, Sonam Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut have often talked about wage disparity.

Although some may argue that actresses raising concerns about pay disparity is pointless since they aren’t providing an identical service as that of their male counterparts, that each artist’s star value is different, that in film industries it is simply economics that counts, and that the person who can attract crowds and sell tickets will, regardless of their gender, be rewarded for it, these are mere technicalities and attempts to gloss over the issue.

There is no denying that by raising their voices, the actresses have helped stir the cauldron, in India too.

This is a good start but there is much to be done. Giving Sonam Kapoor a pay raise won’t solve the gender pay gap problem. It is a start, but certainly not the end of the problem. Let us not make haste in applauding it when it happens. Instead, we must reserve our applause for when it has a trickle-down effect and benefits the average working woman.

Our obsession with celebrities can often counter-productive, but it does have some merits. The fact that these public figures enjoy great patronage among the people can be leveraged to influence discourse and enact reform. And while celebrities entering the fray may not solve the problem, it does help in getting the word out and spreading awareness. Awareness leads to discussion, which can ultimately go to parliament and results in new legislation. We are perhaps still at the nascent stage in this ‘activism to legislation’ life cycle, but it is certainly a good start. There needs to be more discussion about minimum wages, relative compensations for identical job descriptions, weekly offs and maternity leaves. In a purely theoretical sense, parliamentarians are our elected representatives and they represent us and our needs. We first need to know what we want before expecting our elected representatives to represent us well. Discussion is, in that sense, a great catalyst for reform, or at least the starting point of it. Ultimately, we need conscience and legislation to tackle these issues.

Kapil Talwar is a chartered accountant by profession who hopes to run for public office one day and give India the parliamentarian it deserves.