Event Timing: 5th November 2021 4:00 PM (CET)
Live-streamed on PES Women Facebook page
Contact: pes.women@pes.eu
The European Unequal Pay Day is a symbolic day to raise awareness on the fact that female workers in Europe still earn on average 14.1% less than men. The day marks the date from which women effectively start working for free until the end of the year. On national level, this day can fall earlier or later in the year, depending on the respective gender pay gap in each Member State.
To mark this day, PES Women and its Flemish member organisation ZIJkant have developed a public campaign featuring a promotional video and visuals by the famous Belgian photographer Jef Boes. It shows real young families in their houses, coping with the COVID-19 situation, with the message “share tasks equally at home, for equal opportunities at work”. Because one of the main causes of the gender pay gap is the unequal share of household work and care responsibilities undertaken by women. It negatively impacts women’s careers, and the situation has only worsened during the pandemic. By raising awareness of this problem and encouraging a fairer sharing of responsibilities, we can begin to close the gender pay gap.
At this online launch event, our experts will discuss how to tackle the gender pay gap by focusing on ‘what you can do?’ as well as on ‘what the EU can do?’. The debate will involve focusing on what individual families and feminist allies can do concretely, such as speaking up and sharing best practices, combat stereotypes in the home and improve sharing of tasks. What can employers and companies do, but also institutions through legislative and structural changes at the European and national level, such as implementing the work-life balance & pay transparency directives, improve investment in the care economy, support projects to combat gender stereotypes etc.?
Our demands
For more inspiration go and see PES Women Feminist Economy brochure
Read the full dossier here.
The average gender pay gap in Europe is 14.1%. This is the difference in average gross hourly wage between men and women across the economy.
The average gender gap in pensions in Europe is 30.1%. This measures the differences in pensions between women and men (65 years or over).
Below you find the gender pay gap (Eurostat, 2019) and the gender gap in pensions (Eurostat, 2018) in percentages per state.
Pay gap: 19.9
Pension gap: 38.7
Pay gap: 5,8
Pension gap: 24.9
Pay gap: 18.2
Pension gap: 15.5
Pay gap: 11.3 (2018)
Pension gap: 27.6
Pay gap: 14.1
Pension gap: 26.5
Pay gap: 11.5
Pension gap: 29.7
Pay gap: 4,7
Pension gap: 32
Pay gap: 21.2
Pension gap: 17.7
Pay gap: 10.1
Pension gap: 38.2
Pay gap: 18.9
Pension gap: 13
Pay gap: 18.4
Pension gap: 8.2
Pay gap: 7.9
Pension gap: 17.8
Pay gap: 13.3
Pension gap: 16.5
Pay gap: 1.3
Pension gap: 43.3
Pay gap: 11.9
Pension gap: 32.4
Pay gap: 11.8
Pension gap: 27.2
Pay gap: 10.6
Pension gap: 31.4
Pay gap: 3.3
Pension gap: 27.3
Pay gap: 13.2 (2018)
Pension gap: 23.4
Pay gap: 8.5
Pension gap: 18.7
Pay gap: 16.6
Pension gap: 23.3
Pay gap: 16.5
Pension gap: 29.7
Pay gap: 11.6
Pension gap: 42.3
Pay gap: 14.6
Pension gap: 39.6
Pay gap: 19.2
Pension gap: 37.4
Pay gap: 10.4 (2018)
Pension gap: 24.6
Pay gap: 14.0
Pension gap: 7.4
Pay gap: 21.7
Pension gap: 1.1
Pay gap: 19.8 (2018)
Pension gap: 34.2
Pay gap: 13.8 (2018)
Pension gap: 5.4
Pay gap: 18.3 (2018)
Pension gap: 33.1
Discover here how PES Women members tackle the gender pay gap in their country.