Women in the European Union earn an average of 13 percent less than men for performing the same job, as reported by the European Commission on Tuesday.
This pay gap persists despite the EU having an existing law advocating for equal pay.
The Commission emphasized that “equal pay for equal work, or for work of equal value”, stands as a foundational principle within the EU, enshrined in the 1957 Treaty of Rome.
Despite this legal framework, progress in narrowing the gender pay gap has been sluggish and has struggled to keep pace in recent years.
To address this issue, the European Commission has implemented a Directive on Pay Transparency, which came into effect in early June.
This directive, functioning as an EU law, establishes the guidelines for the practical application of the concept of “work of equal value”. It includes comparative criteria such as skills, efforts, responsibilities, and working conditions.
The overarching goal of the directive is to empower workers to recognize instances of pay discrimination and provide a mechanism to challenge such disparities.
It’s important to note that this directive has not yet been adopted as law in the 27 EU member countries. These nations have a three-year window to enact the directive into law.
