Economy
Women earn less than men in EU, but gender pay gap narrows
On average, women earned less than men in all Member States, however this gender pay gap varies. The largest differences were observed in Estonia (26.9%), the Czech Republic (22.5%), Germany (22.0%), Austria (21.7%) and the United Kingdom (20.8%).
On the other hand, the smallest differences in earnings between women and men were found not in Western or Scandinavian countries, but in a region closer to Hungary: in Luxembourg and Italy (both 5.5%), Romania (5.8%), Belgium (6.5%) and Poland (7.7%).
Hungary is in the middle of the rankings with a 14% reading, which is slightly better than the 16.3% print of the EU. The gender pay gap narrowed in the EU compared to 2015 and there was a 1.1 percentage point improvement in Hungary too.
As an unadjusted indicator, the gender pay gap gives an overall picture of gender inequalities in terms of hourly pay. Part of the earnings difference can be explained by individual characteristics of employed men and women (e.g. experience and education) and by sectoral and occupational gender segregations (e.g., there are more men than women in certain sectors/occupations with, on average, higher earnings compared to other sectors/occupations), Eurostat explained. Consequently, the pay gap is linked to a number of cultural, legal, social and economic factors which go far beyond the single issue of equal pay for equal work.
Largest differences in hourly earnings for managers
When comparing hourly earnings for different professions, in all nine groups of professions listed women earned less than men on average in the EU in 2014. This was also the case in all Member States, with very few exceptions. The profession with the largest differences in hourly earnings (23 % lower earnings for women than for men) were managers. The smallest differences were observed for clerical support workers (office clerks, secretaries etc.) and service and sales workers (both 8 % lower), two of the professions with the lowest salaries.
On the other hand, the smallest differences in earnings between women and men were found not in Western or Scandinavian countries, but in a region closer to Hungary: in Luxembourg and Italy (both 5.5%), Romania (5.8%), Belgium (6.5%) and Poland (7.7%).
Hungary is in the middle of the rankings with a 14% reading, which is slightly better than the 16.3% print of the EU. The gender pay gap narrowed in the EU compared to 2015 and there was a 1.1 percentage point improvement in Hungary too.
As an unadjusted indicator, the gender pay gap gives an overall picture of gender inequalities in terms of hourly pay. Part of the earnings difference can be explained by individual characteristics of employed men and women (e.g. experience and education) and by sectoral and occupational gender segregations (e.g., there are more men than women in certain sectors/occupations with, on average, higher earnings compared to other sectors/occupations), Eurostat explained. Consequently, the pay gap is linked to a number of cultural, legal, social and economic factors which go far beyond the single issue of equal pay for equal work.
Largest differences in hourly earnings for managers
When comparing hourly earnings for different professions, in all nine groups of professions listed women earned less than men on average in the EU in 2014. This was also the case in all Member States, with very few exceptions. The profession with the largest differences in hourly earnings (23 % lower earnings for women than for men) were managers. The smallest differences were observed for clerical support workers (office clerks, secretaries etc.) and service and sales workers (both 8 % lower), two of the professions with the lowest salaries.
