Women still lag behind men in pay league

A new survey says women in Europe earn on average almost 16 per cent less than men doing similar jobs.

Better news is that the gender pay gap in the ‘old’ EU15 countries is narrowing.

However, the pay gap between men and women doing similar jobs in the ten new member states is wider than the EU average.

The figures, from Eurofound’s European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO), come amid calls by some MEPs, including ALDE deputy Karin Riis-Jorgensen, for more women to be given top jobs in the EU, such as commission president.

The Dane is spearheading a campaign, set to be launched next month, for gender equality.

In its survey, EIRO said the gender wage gap averaged 15.9 per cent across the EU27 in 2007, as indicated by the annual update on pay increases, down from the 16.2 per cent recorded in 2006.

Since 2001, the average wage gap in the EU15 countries has, generally, continued to fall, from 20.4 per cent in 2001, 19.2 per cent in 2002, 18.6 per cent in 2003, 17.4 per cent in 2004 and 18.1 per cent in 2005.

In the ten new member states, though, the gender wage gap averages 17.8 per cent, 3.4 percentage points higher than the average in the EU15.

Among the 28 countries examined in the report, the gender wage gap is greatest in Slovakia and least in Slovenia.

Belgium, Greece, Ireland and Italy show a notably narrower gender wage gap of 10 per cent or less. In Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal, there is a comparatively wide wage gap of 20 per cent more.

The report also looks at current wage rates and minimum wage increases, and increases in average earnings.

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