Guyana is a developing country with many impoverished citizens and women make up a large number of the impoverished population. This is due to the gender wage gap in Guyana, which multiple factors, such as gender role expectations and gender bias, lead to. While there remains room for improvement, the country has put actions in place to address the gender wage gap in Guyana, and conditions are slowly starting to get better.

The Gender Wage Gap in Guyana Exists

According to an Environmental Impact Assessment which was done for a government project, employment is less likely for women than it is for men. As of 2021, labor force participation was 64.9% for men and 38.7% for women. The employment-to-population ratio was 43.2%, with 56.3% being the rate for men and 31.3% being the rate for women. Additionally, as per the World Bank, women rank higher in education than men, yet labor market outcomes does not reflect this. This indicates that women face discrimination when it comes to employment. When women have employment, they do not receive as much pay as their male counterparts, regardless of working in similar positions.

The Reasons

The gender wage gap in Guyana exists due to gender role expectations and gender bias. 

• Gender Roles: Women in Guyana often take on traditional gender roles, such as getting married, having children and being stay-at-home mothers, and many of them fall into those roles, whether it is by their choice or not. As there is an expectation for men to be the breadwinners of the family, it is harder for women to make careers for themselves after taking on these roles. Additionally, many girls in Guyana get married before the age of 18, and have children sooner in life. This makes it even more difficult for them to get jobs.
• Gender Bias: Gender biases make it more difficult for women to attain higher paying jobs, such as those in STEM. Instead, they are more likely to take on lower-paying jobs. As previously mentioned, they continue to receive less pay than men do even if they do manage to obtain higher paying occupations. 

Benefits of Eliminating the Gender Wage Gap in Guyana   

Of course, the elimination of the gender wage gap could lead to more gender equality, and ensure that women receive fair treatment and avoid lack of financial power and poverty for women. If women receive less pay and are unable to work, this increases poverty rates for the country as a whole. According to the World Bank, “Guyana’s poverty rate was among the highest in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region.”

Improvements

While there is still room for improvement, a lot of progress has occurred in terms of gender equality in Guyana. Sources indicate that women in Guyana have started to have equal voices in political forums, and that Guyana has been improving significantly in terms of economic opportunities for women.

Additionally, the National Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Policy has been implemented. The goal of this policy is to provide women with equal rights and social inclusion, including within the workforce. Women’s participation in the workforce has increased since the activation of this policy. The country has also put other laws in place that prohibit gender discrimination and violence (in the workplace and in general), along with those that prohibit discrimination against women during pregnancy and after birth in the workforce.

While improvements have occurred, there is still room for more. Workplaces should continue to implement these laws and policies, and more steps are essential to addressing gender roles and biases in order to further reduce the gender wage gap in Guyana. 

– Renata Hirmiz

Renata is based in San Diego, CA, USA and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons