Women earn over 28% less than men in South Africa

The gender pay gap currently sits at 20%, according to the 2018/2019  Global Wage Report. 

The report, which covers 70 countries and about 80% of the wage employees worldwide, showed that women, on average, earn 20% less than men based on monthly earnings.

According to the report, South Africa has a mean gender pay gap of 28.6% among the 70 countries, with different economic standings.

Sierra Leone has the highest gender pay gap for monthly earnings at 46.6% followed by The Gambia at 44.3% and Pakistan at 42.9%. 

The gender pay gap has been at the centre of many discussions in industries across the board.

Hollywood

The gender pay gap in Hollywood has been an ongoing conversation for decades. Actresses such as Ellen Pompeo and Taraji P. Henson have publicly spoken out about the unequal pay and treatment of women in Hollywood.

Actress Jennifer Lawrence wrote an open essay on the matter after leaked Sony documents revealed she was getting paid less than her male counterparts Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner for the movie American Hustle. 

Sports

According to Forbes, there are no women on the list of 100 Highest Paid Athletes in 2018. Serena Williams is the highest paid female athlete in the world, earning $18 mil (R251 mil). However, she still did not make the list with her male counterparts. 

Finance 

In April, Reuters reported that Europe's largest bank, HSBC, had a gender pay gap of 59% due to the limited number of women in senior positions. At Virgin Atlantic, men earned 58% more than women as a result of the limited number of women in aviation.