Frankfurt am Main – A special evaluation by the Federal Statistical Office for IG Metall on the metal and electrical industry shows: In companies in the metal and electrical industry (M+E) that are subject to collective agreements, the pay gap between women and men is significantly smaller. There it is 11 percent, while in companies not covered by collective agreements it is 18 percent.
When it comes to pay, it is also clear how much women benefit from collective agreements: women with collective agreements in the M+E industry earn 9.65 euros more per hour than women without collective agreements. On average, this means every month: With the M+E collective agreement, women earn 1,400 euros more per month than without it.
Christiane Benner, First Chairwoman of IG Metall, emphasizes the importance of this on today’s Equal Pay Day: “Women benefit greatly from good collective agreements. And we as a society benefit when more women work. The pay gap, which receives particular attention on Equal Pay Day, must close more quickly if we want to have more women in paid work – a no-brainer in times of skilled labor shortages!”
But it’s not just collective agreements that help attract more women to the world of work. Above all, good and reliable childcare is crucial. With a current shortage of around 400,000 places, Germany is far from having a good care situation. But family-friendly policies start much earlier. In order to involve the other parent in shared care as early as possible, the planned family start time is a useful means. To do this, they should be able to take advantage of paid time off in the first two weeks after a birth.
Christiane Benner has a clear message to politicians: “For equality, it is really important that the family start time is initiated quickly now. For other parents, mostly fathers, it must be clear: I can look after my child from the start, I am an equal parent. This has a long-term effect!”
Christiane Benner has praise for the plans to abolish income tax classes 3 and 5. “This is a good equality policy measure. If smaller incomes, often those of women, are taxed differently so that more is left over each month, this can be a good motivation for women to increase their working hours. It also creates an awareness of income differences – and hopefully a different sense of income justice.”