According to the Commission, women in the European Union earn on average only 88 cents for every euro a man earns. This means that, from now until the end of the year, women are "working for free" to close the pay gap.
"There is no reason why women and men should be paid differently for the same job," said Commission Vice-President Roxana Minzatou, and Equality Commissioner Hadja Labib. The principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value is fundamental and must be put into practice. According to the Commissioners, the EU continues to work to strengthen women's economic independence and close the pay gap. However, as emphasized, progress cannot be taken for granted. Commitment to equality remains a priority, aiming for a society where every woman has the right to financial independence and equal pay.
In Europe, men earn on average 12% more per hour worked, while the gap has narrowed by only 4% over the past decade. Progress is slow, and the EU is still a long way from achieving pay equality.
The main reasons for the gap are the over-representation of women in low-wage sectors and it accounts for 24% of the wage gap. The low-wage sectors are care, health and education. In addition, the inequality in the distribution of unpaid work with women spending more hours in unpaid work, such as looking after the home and children, which affects their career development.
Finally, the lack of equality in leadership positions, with less than 1 in 10 women holding a corporate CEO position, exacerbates the pay gap.
In 2023, the Pay Transparency Directive was adopted, which will come into force by June 2026. According to it, companies will have to publish salary information and implement changes if the pay gap exceeds 5%.
In addition, the Commission is preparing the new Gender Equality Strategy for the period after 2025, which will include new initiatives and legislation for the coming years.
