BRAZIL

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Brazil ratified ILO Convention No. 100 concerning Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value adopted by the 34th Session of the Conference in Geneva on 29 June 1951. It was approved by Legislative Decree No. 24 of 29 May 1956 and promulgated on 25 June 1957 by a decree that was recently updated by Decree No. 10.088 of 5 November 2019.

On 8 March 2023, Brazil took the important step of announcing a bill to promote equal pay for men and women with the same job, which is to be sent to the National Congress. Although legislation on non-discrimination in the workplace already exists, the text submitted by the executive branch provides for measures to improve pay transparency in companies, expand oversight and combat wage discrimination.

We share EPIC’s vision of achieving an equal and inclusive world of work, in which women and men receive equal pay for work of equal value across all countries and sectors, by 2023, in line with the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The gender pay gap is symptomatic of many factors, including discrimination, which makes women more likely than men to work in low-paid, poor-quality jobs in vulnerable conditions. In Brazil, the average wage gap is 20%. It should be remembered that the drivers of pay inequality are complex and multifactorial, necessitating a cross-cutting, multidisciplinary vision and approach to rectify the situation. Widespread public awareness based on solid empirical evidence is required to address discrimination, which often reinforces the gender pay gap.

In this regard, EPIC’s core work in equal pay campaigns and advocacy conferences, meetings and exchange of best practices can help us generate public awareness and media coverage on the issue.