“Despite having a female President, the low level of women participating in the labor market in Chile, particularly in positions of power, is notorious,” Bernardita Escobar, a doctor of economics from Universidad Diego Portales, told The Santiago Times.
The report shows that in general, Chilean women earn half as much as men with the country ranking a lowly 128 out of 142 countries in the wage equality category. Paula Poblete, director of research at ComunidadMujer — an organization fighting for women’s rights — explained that men earn more money because they generally opt for jobs in more profitable sectors, such as science and engineering, whereas women tend to choose less competitive careers and subsequently earn less money, despite possessing the same capabilities.