JERUSALEM — Six out of 10 companies and factories in Israel have no women in managerial positions, according to a recent survey on behalf of the Manufacturers Association. The survey, which excludes software firms, also discovered a 15 percent disparity between the salaries of male and female managers.
Ronit Silon, chairwoman of the female managers’ forum of the Manufacturers Association, noted that the average female salary was only $34,800, compared with $39,600 for male managers. Furthermore, about 44 percent of female managers receive less than $30,000 a year, compared with only 23 percent of male managers. On the other end of the spectrum, only 2 percent of female managers earn more than $60,000 a year, compared with 5 percent of male managers.
Silon explained that most senior-level salaries are set through negotiating personal contracts. “When it comes to negotiating salaries, women are not tough enough. Often it is the second salary in the household, and therefore seen as less critical to negotiate for a higher wage,” Silon said. She noted that although the Manufacturers Association offers courses to encourage women to negotiate better, significant disparities remain.
Silon said the main problem facing women in senior positions was that in the last few years the number of female managers — 8,000, or 17 percent of all managers — has not increased significantly. She attributed the low representation to women choosing not to work in industry because of the long hours and their family commitments, but noted that there are now more women studying in high-tech fields at Israeli universities. “In a few years, when these women start to graduate and enter the workforce, we will start to see a change,” Silon predicted.
Currently 55 percent of female managers have academic degrees, and 16 percent have master’s degrees or higher. Silon noted that women’s salaries increased based on their education levels and that those with master’s degrees earn on average $45,900.
She also emphasized that although 17 percent of women are managers, a disproportionate number (24 percent) are involved in the low-paying fields of textiles and paper and printing.
However, Silon noted that the survey of almost 400 companies and factories also revealed some encouraging trends. She cited the 29 percent of women who are either general managers or deputy managers, compared with 16 percent in 1997 and 10 percent in 1994, and she predicted that in the next few years, “These women will break through the glass ceiling.”
She also noted that although salaries remain unequal, senior women have closed many of the gaps in terms of additional benefits and options. Thirty-two percent of female managers vs. 36 percent of male managers receive options, 76 percent of female managers vs. 79 percent of male managers get continuing education funds, and 60 percent of female managers vs. 62 percent of male managers receive bonuses. A disproportionate 82 percent of men receive a company car, compared with only 67 percent of female managers, but slightly more women (33 percent) receive an extra month’s salary compared with male managers (31 percent).
Younger women are also setting precedents, with 17 percent of female managers under age 30, compared with only 7 percent of male managers. Even between the ages of 31 and 40, women managers are more highly represented than their male counterparts, 32 percent vs. 26 percent. The survey also showed that the average age of female managers, at 40, is four years younger than that of male managers.