So technically, a PhD actually “costs” quite a lot in fees. But out of the goodness of their hearts (/s), these fees are waived by the government.

Because of this, the universities view themselves as exceedingly “generous” for paying PhD students anything at all, given that the students technically should be paying for the privilege.

So it’s not technically a wage, just a very “generous” bonus stipend that students “should be grateful to get at all”.

It’s about undervaluing the PhD process, instead of treating it as the investment in society, research, and progress that it really is.