Two thirds of women feel underpaid or undervalued in the workplace

Survey examined how fairly Irish workers feel they are paid

Caroline Reidy, head of HR Solutions at NFP Ireland. 'Pay equity is a key issue for many workers, with a significant portion of workers feeling that they are not rewarded sufficiently for the contribution they make at work, with women in particular inclined to feel this way,' said Ms Reidy. 

More than two-thirds of women feel they are underpaid or undervalued in the workplace, a survey of Irish employees has found.

The survey which examined how fairly Irish workers feel they are paid, found six in 10 (58%) Irish workers either feel underpaid or undervalued in work, with women more inclined than men to feel this way.

Almost six in 10 (59%) Irish female workers feel they are underpaid, but only four in ten (43%) of men feel the same way. A further 7% of female workers and 6% of male workers say they are undervalued at work regardless of pay.

The survey received responses from 750 workers across the country and was carried out by insurance risk management business NFP, which is part of global services giant Aon. More than two in 10 women felt they are significantly underpaid (21%) – but only one in eight (12%) men said the same. It also found while half (47%) of men feel fairly paid, just a third (33%) of women feel this is the case. At the other end of the scale, 3% of men felt overpaid, but just 1% of women. 

Overall, half of this country’s workers feel underpaid (51%), with 16% feeling significantly so.

“The ability to attract and retain staff is key to business success. Our survey shows that pay equity is a key issue for many workers, with a significant portion of workers feeling that they are not rewarded sufficiently for the contribution they make at work, with women in particular inclined to feel this way," said NFP Ireland head of HR solutions Caroline Reidy. 

EU Pay transparency

The survey findings come on the week the EU Pay Transparency Directive came into force in Europe, which obliges employers to provide pay details to job applicants. However, the Government said the directive will only be enacted in Ireland on a "phased basis" once the legislation goes through the legislative process.  The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said this delay will cost working women more than €570m per year in lost wages.

Ms Reidy said the NFP survey results reflect a gender pay gap that exists in many Irish organisations. Eurostat statistics showed the gender pay gap in Ireland fell from 9.6% in 2022  to 8.3% in 2024, below the EU average of 11.1%. "Even in sectors where women dominate the workforce, like health and education, they are far less likely than men to feature among the highest earners," said Ms Reidy.

"The pay transparency legislation, which was due to come into effect in Ireland on June 7 but which unfortunately has now been delayed, will shed more light on the gender pay gap. Under that legislation, all employees will have access to more data to help them identify any unfair gaps in pay that can’t be objectively justified - hence the requirement for organisations to proactively prepare for this key piece of legislation.” 

The NFP Ireland survey on attitudes to pay found that overall, four in 10 (40%) of Irish workers feel they are fairly paid for what they do. At 48%, those aged 55+ are the most likely to say they’re paid fairly.

Those between the ages of 35 and 44, typically when people have established themselves in their careers and have large financial commitments such as mortgages or childcare, are the most likely to feel underpaid, with almost six in ten (57%) of workers in this age group feeling this way.