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Research project to examine gender impacts of collective agreements

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
Publication date 22.2.2022 9.00
Press release 50/2022

The ‘Gender impacts of collective agreements from the perspective of equal pay’ project, which is funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, examines collective agreements from the perspective of gender equality. The research focuses particularly on the impact that collective agreements have on the achievement of equal pay.

The project, which was launched in January 2022, explores what practices social partners apply to gender impact assessment and how these practices are reflected in collective agreements. Gender impact assessment means assessing practices from the perspective of how they affect genders and the realisation of gender equality. The project identifies areas, particularly those related to equal pay, where improvements could be made in assessing the gender impact of collective agreements and develops recommendations.

The project is linked to the objective of the Government Programme to promote equal pay more ambitiously and effectively than before. The results of the project will be used in improving protection against pay discrimination and in developing and implementing gender equality legislation. At the same time, the role of gender impact assessment in collective agreements will be enhanced as a means of promoting equal pay. 

Collective agreements under examination

The project on the gender impacts of collective agreements assesses whether collective agreements have such structures or provisions that treat genders differently from one another or lead to differences in pay for women and men. The research will take place in two stages. First, a survey will be conducted among labour marker organisations to examine the role of gender impact assessment in collective agreements and bargaining.

Based on the survey, some agreements will then be selected for a more detailed analysis. For each of these agreements, the project will assess wage formation and pay systems and examine how provisions are applied at workplaces. The research will also include interviews with labour market actors and an analysis of existing pay statistics.

The project focuses on gender impact assessment from the perspective of working life research and law. A research consortium led by Professor Emeritus Niklas Bruun (Hanken School of Economics) and Professor Emeritus Kevät Nousiainen (University of Turku) is responsible for carrying out the project. Doctoral Researcher Miikaeli Kylä-Laaso (University of Tampere) works as a researcher in the project. The project will be carried out in 2022–2023.

Inquiries

Outi Viitamaa-Tervonen, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, tel. +358 295163230, [email protected]
Niklas Bruun, tel. +358 50 5996801, [email protected]
Kevät Nousiainen, tel. +358 50 5202489, [email protected]
 

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