If men and women aren’t the same, what does equal pay really mean?

Equality is not as simple as making everyone the same.

Yes, we said it. Absolute equality, where everyone has identical circumstances, abilities, choices and outcomes, is unrealistic. But fairness, equality of opportunity and equal pay for work of equal value should be realistic.

We are all built differently. I, the writer of this article, will never become a professional basketball player, no matter how much I train or how badly I want it, because I am just not built for the job (I am short by pro basketball standards). Neither am I going to become an Air Force pilot simply because I aspire to fly, because my eyesight standards just won’t cut it (wouldn’t want to as well at the end of the day, as neighbour Singapore’s Air Force is already pretty superior). The same applies to us across almost every aspect of life. As individuals, we are unique in our own ways, with different abilities, talents, interests, personalities, circumstances, opportunities and also different levels of grit and determination.

Sometimes, we are unfortunately born and raised in situations that limit our abilities and opportunities. Where we live, the resources around us and the stability of our environment can shape what is possible long before talent or determination enters the picture.

Thus, the same reality and subject of equality naturally finds its way in education and the workplace – across the many different university courses, professions and industries, where some are predominantly male, while others are predominantly female.

None of this, however, should be interpreted as an argument against equality of opportunity, and the importance of being just. Being just also recognises the differences between men and women, and places emphasis on systemic barriers, outdated workplace practices, and biases that unjustly determine what someone can achieve when their abilities and contributions say otherwise.

When a gender pay gap exists because women are being paid less for work of equal or similar value when compared to men, that is not a matter of men and women simply being different; it is an inequality worth addressing.

But what does “equal” really mean?

Some of us know about International Equal Pay Day, which was established by the United Nations (UN) as a call for action for organisations, businesses and nations to close the gender pay gap between men and women. Observed on 18 September, it represents a symbolic day that highlights gender pay gaps between men and women, and the importance of ensuring that women are fairly rewarded for work of equal value.

Men and women do not always make the same choices, pursue the same qualifications or aspire to the same career pathways. Malaysia’s universities are a rather good example of this. Engineering, manufacturing, construction and information technology remain heavily male-dominated fields, while women are much more strongly represented in areas such as health and welfare, natural and social sciences, and education. (Source: Statistik Pendidikan Tinggi 2025: Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi (KPT)) At the same time, women are hardly sitting on the sidelines waiting for the men to finish their degrees; the participation of women in higher education has become increasingly significant, including at postgraduate level. In fact, based on Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi (KPT) 2025 data, women are kicking men’s butts in tertiary education enrolment and graduate numbers! (Source: Statistik Pendidikan Tinggi 2025: Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi (KPT)) (Women represent!)

In the current age of information, AI, and entrepreneurship, the lines are increasingly blurred, and the traditional boundaries of what constitutes a career, a profession or even a workplace are becoming less defined. Someone can be an employee by day, and a freelancer by night, while others bring in an income through the gig economy – opportunities, work, and career choices that did not even exist a generation ago. Technology has also opened up opportunities for people to work across borders, industries and disciplines without necessarily following the conventional career pathways that once defined our working lives.

In other words, the workplace is no longer as simple as drawing comparisons between a man and a woman, nor placing them side by side and assuming that any difference in their pay must have come from their gender. There are far more variables at play now, from the industry and occupation they choose to the qualifications they hold, the experience they accumulate, the responsibilities they take on, the value they create and, increasingly, the way they choose to work.

And when we highlight and discuss equal pay, we must objectively ask if we are really talking about making men and women equal, or whether we are talking about something much more practical – whether the men and women filling the positions are able to perform according to the objectives of their roles, contribute according to their KSAs (knowledge, skills and abilities), and be rewarded fairly and commensurately with the value they bring.

What do Malaysians actually think about equal pay?

So, if the concept of equality is not entirely about making every man and woman identical, then the more sensible question is whether we collectively believe both men and women are being treated fairly across industries and workplaces. In support of the latest WIN Worldviews research, Central Force Insights’ findings proudly reveal that Malaysians are considerably more optimistic than many other nations.

When Malaysians were asked whether men and women earn about the same for the same job, 64% said that women do, putting Malaysia among the countries with the strongest perceptions of pay equality in the 43-country WIN survey. The results also show a broadly consistent perception across both men and women.

Furthermore, Malaysia is also ahead of many countries in terms of how people perceive gender pay equality, where their societies have frequent conversations (sometimes heated) about the gender pay gap, and have been far more prominent across policymaking. This suggests that a clear majority of Rakyat do not look at the workplace and see a system in which women are routinely paid less simply because they are women. In other words, when Malaysians think about two different people doing essentially the same job, there appears to be a fairly strong belief that the paycheque should not be determined by whether the name on it is Ahmad or Aisyah, but rather their capabilities, contributions and value. Steady, Malaysians!

A different picture beyond Malaysia

Malaysia’s 64% stands well above the global perception of equality, where only 45% of people surveyed believe men and women earn about the same for the same job. That is certainly an encouraging finding, and our own data over the years also shows that the gap between men’s and women’s earnings has been narrowing. While this points to progress, there is still a gap to close before we can say that equal pay has been fully achieved. What it does tell us is how Malaysians currently see the world around them, and that view is considerably more optimistic than the global picture. This is not simply the view of policymakers, researchers or organisations discussing equality behind closed doors. It is what Malaysians themselves told us.

We often hear about gender inequality as though it is a problem that can be understood simply by comparing men and women and identifying who has more of something, whether that be income, senior positions, representation or career opportunities. However, with almost two-thirds of Malaysians believing that men and women are already earning about the same for the same work, it suggests that many Malaysians perceive their workplaces as increasingly merit-based, or at least the majority of us believe that gender alone should not determine what someone is worth.

Across the 43 countries surveyed, men are consistently more likely than women to believe that men and women receive equal pay for the same job. Globally, there is a wide gender divide, with 51% of men believing pay is equal, compared with just 38% of women. At the same time, women are considerably more likely to believe that men earn more. This difference in perception is difficult to ignore and reminds us that equality is not merely something that can be measured on a spreadsheet, but rather is something experienced, interpreted and felt by the people living within the system.

When equality looks different to different people

A country can become increasingly confident that men and women are being treated equally, while women themselves may still be more likely to notice the occasions when they are not. Progress in the overall perception of equality does not necessarily mean that every woman believes the playing field is level, just as a woman’s perception that the playing field is uneven does not automatically tell us what caused every difference in income or career progression when compared with their male counterparts.

This distinction matters because equal pay is only one part of equality at work and career. What happens beyond the payslip can be just as important: the career pathway and opportunities laid out for them, the skills and experience they accumulate, the positions of influence they hold, the promotions they are considered for, and the decisions they make about balancing work with everything else in life. A man and a woman can arrive at varying salaries through a long chain of perfectly legitimate differences, but that does not mean we should stop asking whether they were given a fair and just opportunity to be at their best and ultimately thrive.

At the end of the day, men and women don’t have to make identical choices or end up with identical outcomes for success. What is of utmost importance is a fair and just system that ensures a level playing field that allows for free and equitable opportunities for women to pursue their dreams just as men are. Whether it is women pursuing engineering, or men serving in nursing; thorns among the roses, or roses among the thorns – there is beauty and utility in the collective whole – in a thriving plant in itself.

We always feel blessed and gifted to be a Malaysian, and that we are given ample opportunity to chart our path and build something fulfilling for ourselves. Yet all of us will travel across uneven terrain and choppy seas of challenges, and ultimately arrive at very different destinations. This is simply the reality of life – not of man nor woman, but of being human.