The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Ministry of Tourism's director-general yesterday said earnings inequality remains an issue in the sector with women still earning on average 15 percent less than their male counterparts.

Joy Jibrilu, speaking at a webinar organised by the Nassau Cruise Port, said it was “amazing” how large pay discrepancies between men and women can be rationalised today and suggested it has “nothing to do with gender but with our worth".

"Women are the ones in many instances looking after the families. They're the ones that are looking after the extended family as well, and pay is important. When you're still having to negotiate for equality of pay, a lot of that is down to us as women," she added.

“We just don't know how to ask for what we know we are worth, so we've also got to do a better job. And as women, I think that's something that we've got to mentor the next generation on. How do we get them to be very clear, very focused in asking for what they know they deserve? So this has nothing to do with gender, but has to do with our worth.”

An Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) study in 2010 showed that, depending on certain variables, a male’s earnings surpassed those of their female counterparts by between 14 percent to 27 percent in Barbados, and between 8 percent to 17 percent in Jamaica

The International Labour Organisation, in 2019, said women earn 17 percent less than men per hour worked and, despite their increased participation in the labour force, women are still far from equal.

Mrs Jibrilu also provided statistics on work and wage disparities in the tourism sector, in particular, and said: “So the majority of the tourism workforce worldwide are women. Fifty-four percent of people employed in tourism are women, and that's compared to 39 percent in the broader economy.

“So the wage gap is also smaller in the tourism industry. While the wage gap is estimated at approximately 23 percent globally, women in tourism earn 14.7 percent less than men. Those figures come from a global report on women in tourism put out by the UN's WTO (World Tourism Organisation).”

Despite these inequitable statistics, Mrs Jibrilu said the tourism sector remains a “great place for women to lead the way”.

Michael Maura, Nassau Cruise Port's chief executive, said: “I think women are better multitaskers; their attention to detail is better. I'm hesitant to go far past that, because I don't see women as being any less capable than men. To define women differently is a slippery slope and not, in all cases, fair to women.”