TARGETED-MPI acknowledges the International Equal Pay Day

In 2020, the United Nations recognised September 18^th as the International Equal Pay Day. Today marks the third observance of the International Equal Pay Day. Women’s gross hourly earnings in the EU in 2020 were on average 13% less than those of men [1]; this pay gap has changed very little over the last decade [2].

The pay gap between men and women signifies the persistent inequality that women face in relation to their compensation for equal work. The inequality in pay is related to many factors such as the inequality in career progression, the over-representation of women in low-paying sectors, and the unpaid work that women perform in household and care responsibilities [2].

In acknowledging this year’s International Equal Pay Day, we believe that it is imperative for governments, international organisations, employers, and labour organisations to assign high priority to closing the gender pay gap and collaborate closely to develop actions that address this important gender inequality problem.

[1] Eurostat (2022). Gender pay gap statistics. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Gender_pay_gap_statistics 

[2] European Commission (2022). The gender pay gap situation in the EU. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/gender-equality/equal-pay/gender-pay-gap-situation-eu_en