March 7, 2023

The arrival every March 8 of International Women’s Day forces us to put the magnifying glass on all the inequities that still affect it. And the sector of women with the highest qualifications in Córdoba, the “professionals”, does not escape this situation at all; even despite the advancement of the gender conversation in recent years in society.

The data from a wide-ranging study carried out by the Observatory of the Federation of Professionals of Córdoba (Fepuc) with the participation of the Women’s Economics and Finance Association of Córdoba (Meyfin) in the province, in the middle of 2022, are revealing and worrying. Its results have just been released, under the title “Working conditions and financial capacities of the professional sector in Córdoba”.

The research included surveys of more than 4,600 people and, in summary, puts a number on the salary disadvantage and working conditions in general (more precarious contractual situation in general) that afflicts professional women in relation to their male counterparts.

In terms of monthly income, the gender gap averages 36% in the private sector, and also considering activity in the State, it stands at 34%.

However, if one analyzes how much less total income women receive by type of profession (grouped in the professional associations that each one represents); the difference to the detriment of women grows to 65%: this gap occurs between “public translators”. They are followed in magnitude by the gaps between “public auctioneers and brokers” (women earn 51% less than male peers), professionals in “bio-imaging production” (-46%), “surveyors” (-45%) and “geologists”. ” (-43%).

If we focus on those colleges that bring together the most numerous professions, the gaps are also strong: between male and female doctors it is 32%; 33% lawyers and economic sciences professionals 18%.

Even in sectors where women are the majority, such as dentistry, architecture and nutrition; they earn an average of 33%, 34% and 26% less, respectively.

once morest hand

A striking case among professional fields is that of psychomotor specialists. The survey among the public of members of the sector indicates that women earn an average of 85% more than their male peers; difference perhaps explained by the low male presence in the field.

Perhaps a similar phenomenon occurs in educational psychology –another highly feminine labor arena-, where women earn “only” an average of 6% less than their male counterparts.

The gap is also low among computer science professionals: -8% average.

“The gaps are directly related to the impossibility that they have to manage to work more than nine hours a day. In the case of professionals who work as ‘independents’, their income is also 25% lower than that of those who are in a dependency relationship”, highlight the author entities of the research.

multiple lags

The investigation carried out by Fepuc and Meyfin includes a comprehensive characterization of the situation of Cordovan professionals. Here are some of the main problems they face due to the inequality that they still suffer from in the labor market:

most vulnerable conditions. Unlike men, professionals stand out under more vulnerable working conditions such as “service location”, “informal work”, “low income”.

Three out of 10 women (29%) are located in the sector’s lowest income quintile, while only one out of 10 men (12%) is in that segment. They have “less possibilities to negotiate fees”, as admitted by 37% of those surveyed.

Covert dependency relationship. The mode of contracting under “service location” but complying with schedules and regulations occurs more frequently among professional women. 15% of them are in this condition and in the case of men, 6%. This work is considered “precarious” because these people are obliged to comply with the same regulations as those who are in a “dependency relationship” but are not entitled to vacations, bonuses, maternity leave, etc.

Low-income monotributists. In the professional sector, the majority of independent professionals are “Monotributistas” (87%). In the case of women, 38% are registered in the lowest categories (A or B) which demonstrates greater damages in the segment of independent professional workers.

Distant Social Security. Independent women make a greater effort to pay for retirement contributions, social work and insurance, among others.

Marked gender gap in financial situation. The greater proportion of women in the low income strata also generates a gender disparity in terms of economic situation, saving capacity, knowledge and financial habits.

Half of those who responded indicated that in the last 12 months their income was not enough to cover their expenses, but this percentage rose to 58% among professionals and was only 40% among men.

In both cases, the level of income is the great determining factor. The median income of those who do not face hardship is more than double that of those who do.

To face these difficulties, the reduction of expenses and loans from friends and relatives were the main resources used. To a lesser extent, they resorted to less healthy habits such as using a credit card for common consumption or postponing the payment of their bills.

They might not save in the last year. In the Cordovan professional sector, 45% did not save in the last year. When this data is analyzed in detail, the gender gap is wide, which is correlated with income level: 51% of women surveyed said they had not been able to save, while in men it was 36%.

Traditional savings options are preferred: foreign currency (47%) and fixed term (36%). Only 12% of professionals prefer more sophisticated investment products, such as bonds, stocks, and investment funds, with marked gender gaps and correlation with income level.

Careful in personal finances. On a positive note, the sector shows a high level of care and concern for their personal finances: they take care of their expenses, they analyze before buying something and they personally monitor these issues. In addition, they try to budget or spend less than what they earn, in addition to meeting debts. There are no major gender differences on these issues.