Mind the (Pay) Gap: Why Women in Ireland Earn Less

For every euro a man earns in the EU, a woman earns just 87 cent. Here in Ireland, that gap is smaller, but it’s still there. Despite years of promises, pilot schemes, and political speeches, the Government’s long-awaited pay gap portal still isn’t properly up and running, even though companies are required to report their pay gaps this month. On today’s podcast, Shane Beatty speaks to Jennifer Keane, founder of PayGap.ie — the independent project that’s been collecting and publishing Ireland’s pay data long before the State ever did. Jen’s blunt about it: “The oversight is me — and I’m easy to ignore.” She explains why companies are still struggling with transparency, what the latest data says about who earns what, and how some employers have quietly overwritten or buried their pay reports online. Jen also warns that Artificial Intelligence could make the pay gap worse, not better — especially if hiring algorithms are trained on biased data. She’s even tested it: one AI system recommended a higher salary for a man than for an equally qualified woman. And with experts estimating it could take another century to close Ireland’s gender pay gap, we ask: what will it take to fix a problem everyone admits exists, but no one seems to own? 💻 Explore the data: 👉 paygap.ie — Ireland’s independent gender pay reporting portal, created by Jennifer Keane. 📧 Share your story: ✉️ [email protected] — Tell us your experience of the gender pay gap.