Women in EE are paid 13% less than men for the same work, despite the fact that equal pay for both sexes is enshrined in European legislation.

According to an announcement by the European Commission on the occasion of “Equal Pay Day” on November 15, “women in the EU continue to earn less than men with the average EU gender pay gap at 13%».

At the same time, the Commission finds that progress on closing the gender pay gap has stagnated this year and is slow over the years.

In June 2023, the Pay Transparency Directive entered into force and under this new law, workers will be able to enforce their right to equal pay for equal work or work of equal value, the Commission underlines, according to which “the key is transparency».

This directive sets a clear framework for the application of the concept of “work of equal value” and criteria including skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions and helps workers identify and challenge pay discrimination.

Member States have three years to transpose this directive into national law.

The right to equal pay for women and men for equal work or work of equal value has been a fundamental principle of the EU since the Treaty of Rome in 1957.

Finally, it is noted that “equal pay day” (November 15 this year) marks the date that symbolizes how many extra days women have to work until the end of the year to earn what men earned in the same year.