By IRNA
Brussels : Women in the European Union continue to earn an average of 15% less than men.
The gender pay gap represents the difference between average hourly pay for women and men before tax across the economy as a whole.
It reflects ongoing discrimination and inequality in the labour market which, in practice, mainly affects women, said the European Commission in a new report released Wednesday.
"Girls out-perform boys at school and more women enter the labour market with a university degree than men, but a pay gap of 15% persists. This is an absurd situation and needs to change," Vladimir Spidla, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, told a press conference presenting the report.
The pay gap also reflects inequalities on the labour market mainly affecting women – in particular the difficulties in reconciling work with private life Women still lag behind when it comes to holding managerial positions and they encounter more obstacles and resistance as they proceed along their career paths, stated the report.
"It is unacceptable for a woman who has taken 8 months off during her pregnancy between the ages of 20 and 30, to be underpaid 25 years after the event and even that affects her pension. From my point of view, after two or three years the difference should be deleted,'' said Spidla.