The Gender Pay Gap is different across the EU Member States. The narrowest is 3.5% in Romania whereas the widest gender pay gap is registered at 25.6% in Estonia. Unlike the provision of equal pay, which is legally binding and refers to men and women being paid the same for like work, work regarded as equivalent or work of equal value, the gender pay gap is the difference between the gross hourly earnings for all men and the gross hourly earnings for all women. It is the difference between what men typically earn in an organisation compared to what women earn, irrespective of their role or seniority.

The gender pay gap leads to a gender pension gap and the risk of poverty for elderly women is thus higher than it is for men. The European Commission believes that improvements in gender equality will result in a higher GDP per capita in Member States.

The European Commission is planning to combat the gender pay gap by asking Member States to implement pay transparency measures, after a consultation involving employers, employees and EU Member States.

To this end, the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC) has devised a survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5R82H6T for a wide consultation on the subject and which the general public is being invited to answer. The wider the participation of the public on this matter, and the more awareness is raised, the higher the chances of the gender pay gap being narrowed and in future obliterated.

Iuris Advocates can be contacted if you encounter problems of discrimination at the workplace or when a service is being rendered.