Gender pay gap: causes, consequences and policy mechanisms to face a worldwide phenomenon

Abstract

Even though women in the last four decades have made incredible breakthroughs reaching the same educational level of their male counterparts, these achievements have not resulted in a complete equality in terms of opportunities and, especially, salary. Taking this assumption as a starting point, the scope of this dissertation is - precisely - to provide a comprehensive analysis of gender pay gap. After having provided a qualitative and quantitative overview of the phenomenon and an explanation of the main consequences of the wage gap not only for women and their families, but also for economy and the society as a whole, the emphasis is put on the policy mechanisms and legislative actions performed at different levels. The exploration starts with the consideration of the central role played by the International Labour Organization, continues with a deep analysis of the commitment of the European Union and is concluded with a focus on Italy. Moreover, particular relevance is given to the investigation of the causes of the gap, as they are identified by the European commission: extra unpaid work, career breaks, discrimination, glass ceiling. This latter is considered as a self-standing phenomenon, related to the gender pay gap and worthy of a specific focus on. Furthermore, in the last part of the dissertation, a concrete case study is provided.