The operator of Japanese online marketplace Mercari recently sent ripples through workplaces across the country when it exposed a substantial pay disparity between its male and female staff. In an example to other employers, the firm moved quickly to address the problem, and says it will remain transparent about its efforts to eliminate the gender gap in its offices.
Self-disclosure
The Tokyo-based operator of Japan’s biggest flea-market app said an internal audit had uncovered a company-wide average wage difference between men and women of 37.5 percent. Executives attributed the yawning gap mainly to the fact there are more men in management, engineering, and other high-paying positions.
Harder to explain was the average 7-percent difference in pay between male and female employees performing the same work at the same grade.
Cho Aiko oversees a team at Mercari that aims to ensure diversity and inclusion at the company. She says the revelation came as a shock.
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