In a statement to mark European Equal Pay Day (3 November), the Commission has called for progress on this 'stubborn issue': "Gender equality, including equal pay for men and women, is one of the EU's founding values. But it is still far from a reality. For the past years, the gender pay gap has basically refused to budge. This means that women work for two months a year for free in comparison to their male colleagues." The average gross hourly wage in Europe is 16.3% lower for women than for men. In Ireland it is 13.9% lower. When overall earnings are taken into account, Irish women earn 36.8% less than men while women in the EU earn 39.6% less.