European Commission

1
European Commissions campaign on the gender pay
gapEQUAL PAY DAY WORKSHOPWednesday, 4 March
2009organised by BPW International

• Belinda PYKE
• European Commission
• DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal
  opportunities
• Director for Equality between Men/Women, Action
  against discrimination, Civil Society

2
The gender pay gap in the EU

• Long standing commitment for equal pay at EU
  level (Treaty of Rome)
• Legislation about equal pay for equal work (or
  work of equal value)
• Improvement in female employment over the last
  decades
• But persisting gender pay gap in the EU
• Estimated at 17.4 in 2007 (relative difference
  in womens and mens hourly earnings) and
  widening in some countries
• Gender pay gap is a concern for equality between
  women and men but also in the EU Strategy for
  growth and jobs

3
Why is it important to adress the gender pay gap
?

• Gender pay gap is due to
• Direct discrimination
• All gender inequalities on the labour market
• Work-life balance (share of domestic and family
  duties, part-time, career breaks)
• Gender segregation of the labour market
• Undervaluation of womens work
• Glass ceiling
• Consequences of the gender pay gap
• Maintains unequal share of paid and unpaid work
• Financial economic independence
• Impact on poverty (single mothers, pensions)
• Waste or ressources for the economy

4
EU action in the field of the gender pay gap

• Priority in the Roadmap for equality between
  women and men 2006-10
• July 2007 Policy Communication of the European
  Commission (COM(2007) 424 Tackling the pay gap
  between women and men)
• Four domains of action
• Exploring ways to improve the legislative
  framework and its implementation
• Exploiting to the full the Employment Strategy
  for Growth and Jobs
• Encouraging employers to respect equal pay
• Supporting the exchange of good practice at
  Community level
• Implication of all stakeholders needed (role of
  European Parliament, Member States, social
  partners, employers)

5
Since the 2007 Communication

• Assessment of the current EU legal framework and
  possible revision
• European employment strategy
• Improvement of statistics and knowledge on the
  subject
• Various actions to fight gender stereotypes at
  workplace (eg campaign with ICT-ILO)
• Forthcoming study on initiatives taken by
  companies in the field of gender equality
• and the new European Commissions campaign

6
EC campaign on the gender pay gap

• Campaign launched the 3rd March in the context of
  the International womens day
• Aim is to raise awareness on the gender pay gap
  and how it can be tackled
• Target group is wide employers, workers,
  citizens
• Main messages of the campaign Closing the
  gender pay gap
• Creates a more equal society
• Has benefits for workers
• Makes good business sense
• Need efforts of all interested parties
• Approach of the campaign includes all aspects of
  the gender pay gap
• Discrimination and underevaluation of womens
  work (equal pay for work of equal value)
• All gender inequalities on the labour market, in
  a lifecycle approach

7
The campaign materials

• Press and media event (3rd March)
• Advertising in press and public transport
• Written and promotional material
• toolbox with information on the gender pay gap,
  leaflet, poster, CD-Rom,
• itinerant stand in 8 European cities
• Audiovisual services documentary (10 and 3 min)
  and video-clip (3 min)
• Internet website http//ec.europa.eu/equalpay
• All materials available since the 3rd March

8
EC campaign on the gender pay gap examples of
visuals

• Stereotypes shape women's and men's roles in
  society, starting at a very early age
• Traditions and stereotypes may influence, for
  example, the choice of educational paths and
  later, employment patterns

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EC campaign on the gender pay gap examples of
visuals

• Womens skills and competences are under-valued
  especially in those occupations where women
  predominate
• Women often work in sectors where wages are, on
  average, lower than those dominated by men

10
EC campaign on the gender pay gap examples of
visuals

• Womens opportunities for progression and higher
  pay in the workplace are affected by their family
  responsibilities

11
EC campaign on the gender pay gap examples of
visuals

• When women retire their lower earnings mean lower
  pensions and higher risk of poverty