Addressing gender pay gap and gender pay equity in the Future of Work
Author: Genevie Mendoza
Supervisors: Bing Dai Indrapriya Kularatne
16 April 2024
Mendoza, G. (2024). Addressing gender pay gap and gender pay equity in the Future of Work. (Unpublished document submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Management). Auckland International Campus, Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga, New Zealand. https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.6505
Abstract
Nowadays, to remain competitive businesses are pressured to embrace transformations. These changes are called the Future of Work (FOW), and focus on how work, the workplace, and work processes adapt to societal and economic challenges. However, even with the FOW, the issue of gender pay equity remains. Amidst the extensive literature aimed at addressing the global issue of gender pay gap, the lack of understanding of the potential impact of emerging trends and changes in the workplace environment, brought about by the FOW still exists. This is the research gap that this paper aims to address. This research aimed at identifying the factors impacting the prevailing gender pay equity issues in New Zealand organisations through the analysis of worker-related data while looking at factors that influence how organisations will adapt to the evolving work concepts in the FOW. By conducting a quantitative analysis of longitudinal employee data, the research identified the explainable and unexplainable portions of the pay gap, with the explainable portion highly attributable to worker-related characteristics. The general findings from the study showed that the worker-related characteristics are deemed as an avenue for introspection of Human Resource policies and practices to uncover systemic biases and allow for more bespoke initiatives towards achieving pay equity. Furthermore, this study showed the double-edged sword of the FOW as it can act as a catalyst for addressing pay inequities but can also be the reason for the widening pay differences. Lastly, this study proved the benefits of the comprehensive gender pay gap and gender pay equity reporting by NZ organisations as it allows for more targeted review of policies and processes that will help mitigate the gender pay disparity.
Keywords
gender pay gap, gender pay equity, Future of Work, pay disparity, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I)
Licence
A copy of the thesis is publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International
This licence applies except where otherwise indicated, especially for images.
