Indian women buck gender pay trend in Ireland: Report

INDIAN women are breaking the gender pay trend in Ireland, establishing themselves as the only female cohort earning more than their male counterparts, reported The Sunday Times.

Recent data from the Central Statistics Office revealed that Indian women in Ireland outearned not only Indian men but also Irish women.

In 2022, Indian women working in Ireland earned 4 per cent more than Indian men and an impressive 45 per cent more than Irish women. This stark contrast is a unique phenomenon in Ireland, where men generally had higher median weekly earnings than women across other nationality groups.

The success of Indian women in the Irish job market can be attributed to their strong educational backgrounds, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

According to the report, many Indian women view Ireland as an attractive destination due to its perceived work-life balance and liberal society.

Disha Thamman, a 27-year-old technical account manager at a multinational software company in Dublin, told the newspaper, "The Indian education system is quite rigorous. We are good at mathematics, science, and so forth because of the extensive hours of study we do even from an early age."

Sukriti Kapoor, 27, a risk advisory manager at one of the Big Four consultancy firms in Dublin, believes that the focus on STEM backgrounds plays a crucial role in Indian women's success in Ireland.

"If I look at my network, all of the Indian people I know are from a STEM background. I think that makes a difference," she was quoted as saying.

Kapoor also highlights the Indian women's propensity to plan for the future, emphasising the importance of setting long-term goals and rising through the ranks.

Aratrika Ahuja, 24, a Trinity College graduate working at Investec Europe in Dublin, points out that many young Indian women are drawn to Ireland to escape the traditional constraints they face in their home country.

"We want to break those stereotypes, and Ireland has offered us the most equality we've seen in our lives," said Ahuja.

Trayc Keevans, the global foreign direct investment director for Morgan McKinley, noted that Indian citizens, especially in the tech sector, receive a significant proportion of employment permits in Ireland.

Ben Thompson, of Churches estate agency, comments on the growing Indian expatriate population in Ireland, particularly in areas like south Dublin. Many of these expatriates are young Indian professionals, often in tech roles, earning substantial incomes.