Recommendations to reduce the pay gap between men and women

 

The report states that in spite of the significant body of work of legislation in force for more than thirty years, actions taken and resources spent, the gender pay still exists and progress has been "extremely slow". The gender pay gap varies between 4% and more than 25% in Member States and this gap does not show a significant narrowing trend.

 

Reducing the pay gap was one of the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs, but it has not been sufficiently addressed by most Member States, the report says.

 

The Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality calls on the Commission to submit "an analysis" of EU or national legal acts to find "an appropriate means of bringing about a significant reduction in the pay gap", stressing that "better and earlier implementation" of the provisions of the Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 is "essential".

 

 

MEPs in the committee also call for EU Institutions to organise a European Equal Pay Day to mark the day on which women in Europe have earned (on average) the pay which men earn (on average) in a year. This is to raise awareness of the existing wage gap and encourage all those involved to take additional initiatives to eliminate this gap.