Assoc ProfessorSara Benedí Lahuerta

Lead co-organiser of webinar for Irish Higher Education Institutions: "The Gender Pay Gap in Higher Education Institutions: Opportunities and Challenges from the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021" (co-organised with UCD EDI Unit and the UCD Equalities Studies Centre)

Building on my research, and together with Judy Walsh (UCD, Social Justice), I analysed the current problems of Irish equality law legislation, focusing on aspects such as scope, remedies and enforcement, including the role and powers of equality bodies and the lack of availability of collective redress.

Anonymous peer review

Lead co-organiser of International the Online Workshop: "Bridging the Gender Pay Gap through Transparency. Comparing Supranational, National and Non-Governmental Approaches". Systemic differences in wages on the basis of gender have been actively contested at various levels for at least seventy years, with little progress. Around the globe, many jurisdictions are now turning to pay transparency as a tool for eliminating the Gender Pay Gap (GPG) by empowering women with information and placing the onus on the employer to achieve a fair pay structure. This project evaluates how and to which extent pay transparency regulation can contribute to address the GPG. To this effect, the online workshop ‘Bridging the Gender Pay Gap through Transparency. Comparing Supranational, National and Non-Governmental Approaches’ was co-organised by UCD and the European Women Lawyers’ Association (EWLA) on the 22nd and 23rd of September 2021. The aim of the workshop was to discuss key challenges and best practices from a wide range of national jurisdictions and a non- profit certification system (The Fair Pay Innovation Lab). A book partly based on the workshop contributions (Bridging the Gender Pay Gap through Transparency? Comparative Approaches and Key Regulatory Conundrums, co-edited by Sara Benedí Lahuerta, Katharina Miller and Laura Carlson) is currently under preparation for publication with Edward Elgar.

Anonymous peer review

Postpublication review

The Commission proposed in March 2021 new pay transparency measures, such as pay information for job seekers, a right to know the pay levels for workers doing the same work, as well as gender pay gap reporting obligations for big companies. The proposal aims to strengthen the tools for workers to claim their rights and facilitate access to justice. Employers will not be allowed to ask job seekers for their pay history and they will have to provide pay related anonymised data upon employee request. Employees will also have the right to compensation for discrimination in pay.

Summative

Postpublication review

Lead co-organiser (with Ingi Iusmen) of the workshop with national and local-stakeholders: "Brexit and Polish Nationals in Southampton: Sharing Experiences"

Other

External Examiner for various modules

Lead co-organiser (with Ania Ania Zbyszewska) of the International Seminar: "Rethinking EU Equality Law: Exploring the Alternatives" (University of Warwick, Brussels Office, Belgium)

Anonymous peer review

Lead co-organiser (with Ania Ania Zbyszewska) of the International Seminar: "Rethinking EU Equality Law: Setting the Scene" (Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, London, UK)

Wrote the report: "ENAR Shadow Report 2011-12. Racism and related discriminatory practices in Spain" (2013)

Wrote the report: "ENAR Shadow Report 2010-11. Racism and related discriminatory practices in Spain" (2012)

Wrote the report: "ENAR Shadow Report 2009/10. Racism and discriminatory practices in Spain" (2011)

I participated in this capacity building event organised by the European Network of Equality Bodies (Equinet) for its own members (members of European Equality Bodies). First, I gave the keynote speech: "Setting the scene – Equal pay in the EU" (based on my research and publications on pay transparency and equality bodies). This session provides an academic perspective on the principle of equal pay in the EU and how it has been gradually protected by policies and laws. Second, I facilitated two workshops entitled "Putting in practice the concept of work of equal value" with a practical focus.