Activists in Paris have walked off the job to protest against the gender pay gap.
ADVERTISEMENTActivists in Paris have walked off the job to protest against the gender pay gap.
Claiming men get on average just over 15 percent more salary than their female colleagues for the same job, the French feminist group behind the rally called on women to leave their posts at 4.34 in the afternoon, the point in the day, they say, a woman starts working for free.
‘‘It’s depressing. We say that they’re the fools who work for nothing. So it’s a bit of a painful realisation, but women need to know so that they can organise themselves, in order that they are paid the same as their male colleagues who are better paid,’‘ said one protester.
“This isn’t the 70s anymore, but it’s still the same, almost the same level of disparity between men and women. And so it was kind of a girl power moment, everyone getting together and going outside and waiting on the sidewalk.”
The rally, which took its inspiration from a similar demonstration in Iceland last month, was also held on November 7, to highlight the moment, protesters say, women start working for free until the end of the year.