The institutionalised undervaluation of women’s work: The case of local government sector collective agreements

Paula Hannele Koskinen Sandberg, Maria Törnroos, Roosa Kohvakka

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

28 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article analyses the role of collective agreements in institutionalising and legitimising the undervaluation of work conducted by women. The undervaluation of women’s work has been identified as one of the main causes of the gender pay gap. Despite this, it continues to escape many of the policy measures on gender pay equity that focus on establishing wage discrimination. The Finnish local government sector provides an interesting case for research on undervaluation, as it has several collective agreements and several wage determination systems for different employee groups. However, a local authority is a single employer, and is obliged by law to treat all employees equally. Although the processes of wage determination vary across different national contexts, institutionalised undervaluation is very likely among highly feminised jobs and occupations worldwide. This article sees wages as social practices that reflect and are shaped by institutional, societal and historical contexts.
Original languageEnglish
Peer-reviewed scientific journalWork, Employment and Society
Volume32
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)707-725
Number of pages19
ISSN0950-0170
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27.06.2017
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article - refereed

Keywords

  • 512 Business and Management
  • Collective agreements
  • Equal pay
  • Finland
  • Gender
  • institutionalised undervaluation
  • Local government
  • Pay gap

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The institutionalised undervaluation of women’s work: The case of local government sector collective agreements'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this