SANTIAGO, Jun 6 (IPS) - Gabriela, 32, is delighted with Chile's new law establishing equal wages for men and women doing the same work. But the discrimination she has experienced in the workplace makes her wary of premature optimism.

On May 20, the Chilean parliament unanimously approved the law to close the wage gap, introducing the principle of equal remuneration for men and women into the Labour Code.

The following day, in her traditional state of the nation speech to Congress, socialist President Michelle Bachelet praised lawmakers for passing the law.

"The law on the wage gap will promote something that is deeply felt by all of us: that the men and women of our country should receive equal pay for equal work," said Bachelet, who signed the bill into law on Jun. 2.

According to the National Institute of Statistics, women workers in Chile earn on average 31.1 percent less than men. But among professionals, the wage gap is as high as 49.8 percent, according to the Labour Directorate.

The law states that employers must abide by the principle of equal remuneration for men and women who do work of equal value. However, differences in pay based on objective grounds, including employee skills and qualifications, fitness, responsibility or productivity, "shall not be considered arbitrary," it says.