EU moots legislation to bridge gender pay gap

Changes to the Community legal framework could be envisaged to abolish direct and indirect discrimination based on sex, according to the Commission.

“Girls out-perform boys at school and more women enter the labour market with a university degree than men, but a pay gap of 15% persists. This is an absurd situation and needs to change”, said Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Commissioner Vladimír Špidla, presenting a Commission Communication on ‘Tackling the pay gap between women and men’ on 18 July 2007.

Statistics show that the average difference of 15% varies considerably in the EU-27. The gap ranges from 5% in Malta to up to 25% in Cyprus and Estonia. Slovakia, Germany, Finland and the UK also show differences of 20% or more. 

The Commission Communication identifies four areas of action to tackle the problem. In addition to the traditional support for the exchange of best practice between EU-27, the Commission is set to tackle inequality in pay through ensuring better application of existing legislation and exploring ways to improve it as well as its implementation. 

“Changes to the Community legal framework could be examined to ensure that direct and indirect discrimination based on sex is excluded, in particular from the systems used to set pay. For this, it might be envisaged to reinforce provisions aiming at eliminating those elements of pay systems which result in gender discrimination”, states the Communication. 

The Commission also plans to exploit the European Strategy for Growth and Jobs to the full. It therefore urges member states to set objectives and national deadlines for reducing the pay gap, and asks them to include any specific measures implemented in their national reform programmes.

Last but not least, the EU executive also wishes to encourage employers to respect equal pay through the promotion of social responsibility.

The European Institute for Gender Equality should be operational in early 2008 to support member states and the EU institutions in the implementation of their policies in the field. The Commission’s annual report on equality between women and men was, in 2007, accompanied by a special report on the gender pay gap. 

Tackling the pay gap between women and men is an EU political priority, confirmed in the Roadmap for Gender Equality 2006- 2010.

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