Study on Palestinian wage inequality: 30% of women vs. 16% of men earn below PA minimum wage

Headline: “According to a study of the MAS institute – the salary gap between the genders does not prevent women from entering the job market

• More than 30% of working women receive less than minimum wage”

“A new study’s conclusions showed that there is discrimination between the genders in the Palestinian job market in the West Bank…

During a workshop that the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute – MAS held yesterday [Sept. 23, 2019], the conclusions and recommendations of the study – whose title was Wage Inequality Between the Genders in the Palestinian Job Market: Palestinian Women’s Participation in the Work Force – were discussed. The study was prepared by researcher Wi’am Hammouda, who presented its conclusions…

The results of the study showed that more than 30% of working women receive less than minimum wage, compared to 16% of the men. In the private sector the rate rises to 56% among women and 24% among men, while in NGOs and international organizations it decreases to 16% among women and 3% among men. The rate of those receiving less than minimum wage in the public sector is nearly zero: 2% among men, and 2.5% among women.

Hammouda said: ‘The general average daily salary is about 85 [Israeli] shekels a day for men and 56 shekels for women. The gap between men and women is high in the private sector (85 shekels for men and 62 shekels for women) and also in the NGOs and international organizations (200 shekels for men and 150 shekels for women), but it decreases to just two shekels in the government sector (111 shekels for men and 109 shekels for women).’”