Women earn 17% less than men in Latin America

Companies keep paying less to women than men creating an average wage gap of 17% in Latin America , according to the study When Women Thrive, Business Thrive by Mercer . The study is "a global research and solution platform designed to help organizations drive growth through the active and productive participation of their female workforce".

The report, which this year focuses in Latin America, assures that the progress on female participation in the labor sector is stalling , while there is an increasingly growing participation of women in the informal sector , and thus could affect the economic growth of the region.

Moreover, the report indicates that even though there is a significant number of women in politics, women representation in the Congress, executive positions and in leadership positions, in general, remains extremely low.

According to When Women Thrive, Business Thrive , 64% of the surveyed companies support a more diverse workforce , yet only 31% offer part-time programs, 56% flexible jobs (home office), 57% maternity programs, and 44% paternity programs.

"Our research portrays that the majority of Latin American firms are taking their first steps in terms of gender diversity, but very few are effectively implementing measures to make a substantial and sustainable change," says Julieta Manzano , Commercial Director of Mercer Mexico .

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