Summer 2021 Updates from the Anker Research Institute
Understanding Gender Pay Gaps
In June 2020, the Anker Research Institute published a summary of ‘Understanding Gender Wage Pay Gaps around the World: Guidelines for Measurement in Workplaces and Sectors,’ a guiding framework for measuring gendered gaps in pay and the determinants for those gaps. While there are many analyses of gender pay gaps at the global and country level and increasing reporting by large companies, there is little analysis of gender pay gaps in workplaces and sectors that are part of global supply chains. The Anker Research Institute has developed practical guidance to address this discrepancy. Institute researchers are pilot testing the tool with several companies now and the Institute looks forward to sharing more about this guidance in the coming months. These guidelines were authored by Sally Smith, Martha Anker and Richard Anker and their development was made possible through generous support from Fairtrade International.
The Need for Equal Pay for Migrant Workers
The Anker Institute also introduced earlier this year a new working paper series that will investigate issues related to achieving a decent standard of living for all working people and their families worldwide. The first working paper in the series, entitled ‘Same Job, Different Wage for Migrants? Case of Nicaragua Migrants in Costa Rica’, discusses the living wages and living costs for Nicaraguan migrant workers in Costa Rica and debunks the theory that employers can pay migrant workers much less because of lower costs of living in their home countries. This thought-provoking study reinforces with empirical evidence the need to respect the bedrock principle of equal pay for work of equal value.
GLWC member organizations, including SAI and Fairtrade International, have already stated that findings from this report will influence the way they interact with companies that employ migrant workers. “The argument that migrant workers do not need as much payment as local workers is still one we hear frequently,” said Rochelle Zaid, Senior Director of Standards & Impacts at SAI. “This research is an important step toward countering that way of thinking. It gives us more concrete evidence that the principle of equality for all workers, including migrants that we already require in our standard is the right approach and helps us justify that approach against challenges.” This report was authored by Koen Voorend, Martha Anker and Richard Anker.
Read the full study here.
New Living Wage and Income Estimates: Gabon, Belize, and Bangladesh
In July, the Anker Institute released a new Living Income Reference Value for Rural and Urban Gabon, one of several research reports released by the Institute this year. The Living Income Reference Value estimates the monthly cost of a basic but decent standard of living for a family of five. Other reports include a new Living Wage Benchmark for Rural Belize and a Living Wage Update for Dhaka, Bangladesh and surrounding Satellite Cities. These reports both estimate the living wage for a typical family of four.
SAI is the institutional host for the Anker Research Institute.
