Equal Salary Foundation: Equal pay certification extended

In addition to gender, the Equal Pay Foundation now also considers ethnic origin as an explanatory factor for pay discrimination and thus introduces intersectionality into its internationally recognized equal pay certification.

Women consistently and globally continue to earn less than their male counterparts, and this pay gap is even more pronounced for women of color, which exacerbates the inequalities they face in the workforce. This systemic inequality underscores the urgent need for equitable pay and opportunities for all women, especially those who face gender and racial discrimination.

As a result, the Equal Salary Foundation now offers 3 types of certification, corresponding to 3 levels of granularity, which guarantee equal pay and equal opportunities on the basis of:

• Gender and ethnicity (new)
• Ethnic origin (new)
• Gender

These new Equal Salary certifications are based on the same thorough, practical and scientific methodology that Equal Salary has used to certify over 130 international companies to date on the basis of gender. This enables companies to demonstrate and communicate that they provide equal pay and equal opportunity for work of equal value across all ethnicities and/or regardless of gender. These unique and ground-breaking labels are designed to help companies do the right thing, close the ethnic and gender pay gap while gaining a competitive advantage and positioning themselves as leaders in diversity and inclusion.

The development of these methods was carefully elaborated with the support of international experts, academics and specialists from the fields of statistics, human resources, audit and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). The principle of ethnicity used here is based on self-declaration by employees. "It is not possible to assess discrimination. These new certifications represent a new step towards general equality," says Lisa Rubli, co-director of the Equal-Salary Foundation. And Sylvie Makela, CEO of Tribus Urbaines, adds: "Like pay inequality between men and women, pay inequality based on ethnic origin is a deeply rooted problem. Equal pay is not just a word, but a practical tool to eliminate this discrimination and ensure that everyone is paid fairly." 

Main features of the Equal Salary Certification Ethnicity and Gender & Ethnicity:

1. Comprehensive assessment: This is the only equal pay certification in the world that uses a methodology based on hard data (salary analysis) to address the racial/ethnic pay gap. The first phase is supplemented by a desktop and on-site review that examines bias and prejudice beyond pay alone, across the entire employee lifecycle.
2. Data-driven insights: The Equal Salary Certifications use in-depth analytics to provide actionable insights to organizations. By identifying pay gaps and operational inequalities, they help companies understand where gaps exist and how they can be effectively addressed.

Source: www.equalsalary.org