News

The average hourly pay gap between women and men remains at 18% within the European Union and, on an annual basis at 24%, according to the European Report released by the Belgian Presidency; in real terms the difference ranges between 6% and 34%.



In order to discuss and try to tackle this issue, the Minister for Employment and Equal Opportunities Joëlle Milquet organised a Conference on 25 and 26 October with key players in the European Union on this theme. The conclusion of this conference was that a European and National Strategy to overcome the pay gap was needed and that the focus should be made on 10 points:

• Implementation of national action plans to reduce the pay gap
• Effective implementation and enforcement of equal pay legislation
• Ensuring transparency of salaries
• Elimination of vertical segregation
• Overcoming stereotypes and horizontal segregation
• Reconciliation of private and professional lives
• Periodic measurement of the pay gap
• Integrating targets in the National Reform Programmes
• Relying on the European Commission
• Empowering the social partners

To read more on the conference and its results please click here

To read the Belgian Presidency report on Pay Gap please click on "Related Files"