Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to speak on this Bill which deals with an important issue. I want to begin by addressing some of the comments made by Senator Mullen about comparing apples and oranges. His remarks were facetious. If he actually went out, he would find this is based on evidence. I would certainly encourage him to look at Central Statistics Office, CSO, data or the data compiled over a long period by the Higher Education Authority on graduate salaries. If one looks at the CSO data, based on all of its research comparing the median income levels in every single profession across the board, it shows, almost consistently, that men earn more than women. Senator Ward is correct about some of the higher professions. Doctors on average were found by the CSO to be earning on average about €30,000 more per year if they were male rather than female.

Prior to my election to the Oireachtas, I worked with the Higher Education Authority which carried out annual surveys of graduates which discovered there was a pay gap between male and female graduates. For the most part, these were ambitious young people who have succeeded and performed. However, that gap continued to exist. In fact, it is found to exist even a year or two after graduation and, in many cases, a decade or so. For those graduates between the ages of 30 and 50, that gap tended to widen. One fact I found quite interesting was that, nine months after graduation, a male would earn €35,600 on average while a female would earn €31,680. There is the valid point that men are over-represented in courses around business and technology. However, when one compares like for like, we are still talking about an annual difference of €1,876. Even among our third level graduates, there continues to be a significant difference.

This is not going to solve the gender pay gap in and of itself. As we become more aware of the issues and there is more transparency, it will help. I agree with Senator Higgins when she referred to the Athena SWAN, scientific women's academic network, programme that operates in our third level institutions. It is important we do not just publish the data but that we look at ways in which progress can be measured.

Much more needs to be done, however. Following on from Senator Ward in regard to young people who are aware of this issue, we need to look at addressing some of the challenges within some of our schools. There are problems still within some of our schools. For instance, in many female-only schools, they do not have access to subjects such as mechanical drawing which often leads to careers in a particular way. In male-only schools, they do not have access to home economics. From even an early age, if one does not have access to particular subjects, that almost defines the career choice that one will have to follow.

We have the potential to challenge some of the stereotypes. In some of those careers which have been, or seem to be, traditionally dominated, by one gender or another, we need to place much more effort. We have got to place much more emphasis on encouraging young girls and women into technology and computing. In teaching, education and other careers, we have got to look at ways of encouraging far more young men. One is what one can see. This remains one of the challenges that we see with regard to the gendering of professions. I do not believe this legislation will solve all of our problems. Certainly, in terms of transparency and making the data clear, what we can see we will be able to address.