OECD: Improve Job Quality, Reduce Gender Inequality for Economic Growth

Its report, entitled “In It Together: Why Less Inequality Benefits All” the OECD states that in most OECD countries income inequality reached record highs and remains at even higher levels in many emerging economies. According to its calculations, the richest ten percent of the population in the OECD now earn 9.6 times the income of the poorest ten percent. This is significantly up from 7:1 in the 1980s and 9:1 in the 2000s.

The OECD, a global watchdog, in fact, states that we have reached a tipping point as wealth is currently even more concentrated at the top than income, hence exacerbating the overall disadvantage of low-income households.

Through improved tax collection and better targeted public spending, governments hold the key to enhance the situation. However, the report claims that the effectiveness of redistribution mechanisms has weakened in many countries in recent decades.

Recent research conducted by Grant Thornton also showed that gender equality in Indonesia is a major issue. Reportedly, the proportion of business leadership positions held by women in Indonesia has fallen below the global average (22 percent), hitting a new record low of 20 percent (from 41 percent in 2014) which is also below its neighbouring countries Thailand (27 percent), Singapore (23 percent), and Malaysia (22 percent). According to the report parenthood, other family obligations or pressures, insufficient structures for women, and gender bias are the perceived barriers for women to advance into senior management position in Indonesia.

Johanna Gani, Managing Partner at Grant Thornton Indonesia, said that the culture in Indonesia is strongly influenced by hierarchy and patriarchal societies, which prevent women from reaching the upper echelons of the business world.

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