The situation in the EU
How is the gender pay gap measured?
At EU level, the gender pay gap is defined as the relative difference in the average gross hourly earnings of women and men within the economy as a whole.
In 2011, the EU average is estimated at 16.2 %. This indicator has been defined as unadjusted (e.g. not adjusted according to differences in individual characteristics or other observable characteristics that may explain part of the earnings difference) because it gives an overall picture of gender discrimination and the inequalities in the labour market that explain gender differences in pay.
Key figures on equality between women and men at work in relation to the gender pay gap
From the new Eurostat estimates (based on Structure of Earnings survey), it appears that there are considerable differences between the Member States in this regard, with the pay gap ranging from less than 10% in Slovenia, Poland, Italy and Luxembourg, to more than 20% in the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Greece, Germany and Austria, and more than 25% in Estonia.
However, the gender pay gap is not an indicator of the overall inequality between women and men since it only concerns salaried people. The gender pay gap must be looked at in conjunction with other indicators linked to the labour market, in particular those ones that reflect the different working patterns of women. In countries where the female employment rate is low (e.g. Italy), the pay gap is lower than average. This may be a reflection of the small proportion of low-skilled or unskilled women in the workforce. A high pay gap is usually characteristic of a labour market which is highly segregated, meaning that women are more concentrated in a restricted number of sectors and/or professions (e.g. Czech Republic, Estonia and Finland), or in which a significant proportion of women work part-time (e.g. Germany and Austria). Finally, institutional mechanisms and systems on wage setting can influence the pay gap.
Country |
Gender Pay Gap 2011 |
|---|---|
|
EU27 |
16.2 |
|
Belgium |
10.2 |
|
Bulgaria |
13 |
|
Czech Republic |
21 |
|
Denmark |
16.4 |
|
Germany |
22.2 |
|
Estonia |
27.3 |
|
Ireland |
13.9 (2010) |
|
Greece |
22.0 (2008) |
|
Spain |
16.2 |
|
France |
14.7 |
|
Italy |
5.8 |
|
Cyprus |
16.4 |
|
Latvia |
13.6 |
|
Lithuania |
11.9 |
|
Luxembourg |
8.7 |
|
Hungary |
18 |
|
Malta |
12.9 |
|
Netherlands |
17.9 |
|
Austria |
23.7 |
|
Poland |
4.5 |
|
Portugal |
12.5 |
|
Romania |
12.1 |
|
Slovenia |
2.3 |
|
Slovakia |
20.5 |
|
Finland |
18.2 |
|
Sweden |
15.8 |
|
United Kingdom |
20.1 |
Source: Eurostat 2011 except for EL (2008) and IE (2010).
Links
- Eurostat Gender equality indicators
-
The gender pay gap in the Member States of the European Union: quantitative and qualitative indicators - Belgian Presidency report 2010
-
The gender pay gap in the Member States of the European Union: quantitative and qualitative indicators - Summary of the Belgian Presidency report 2010
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The gender pay gap in the Member States of the European Union: quantitative and qualitative indicators – Full report 2010
Please find here all the documents related to the gender pay gap 
.