Brazilian Gov't Unveils Equal Pay Bill
The proposal, part of a series of federal government measures, demands greater wage transparency from companies and calls for more steps to combat wage discrimination.
"There was a time when March 8 was celebrated by giving women flowers, while the other 364 days were marked by discrimination, machismo and violence," the president said at an event at Planalto Palace, the presidential headquarters.
Brazil's Consolidation of Labor Laws establishes equal pay for women and men doing the same job at a company and imposes a fine if discrimination is proven.
According to Lula, the major difference with existing laws is that the new bill makes compliance "mandatory."
"Gender equality will not appear overnight, but we have to speed up the process. If it were up to this government, inequality would end today with a simple decree, but it is difficult to change a whole system built to perpetuate male privilege," he said.
The wage gap between women and men, which had been narrowing until 2020, grew again to reach 22 percent by the end of 2022, according to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.
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