Meeting in plenary session in Strasbourg on Tuesday 10 March, MEPs debated the own-initiative report on the gender pay and pension gap in the European Union. Drawn up by Irena Joveva (Renew Europe, Slovenian) for the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) and Mirosława Nykiel (EPP, Polish) for the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), the text denounces the link between these inequalities and the undervaluing of women’s professions, as well as the consequences of part-time work and the unequal distribution of domestic and care work.
According to the data cited in the debate, the average hourly pay gap between women and men in the European Union reached 12% in 2023, while the pension gap was 25.4%, putting older women at greater risk of poverty.
According to Irena Joveva, the equality enshrined in the treaties does not correspond to the reality of the labour market, and she correlated these disparities with a lack of childcare infrastructure and support for dependent relatives.
Mirosława Nykiel reiterated the consequences of unpaid work, stating that “women work 54 to 57 days every year for free”.
Several political groups in the chamber echoed this observation. Jagna Marczulajtis-Walczak (EPP, Polish) also spoke about career breaks due to maternity and the lack of childcare facilities. Rosa Estaràs Ferragut (EPP, Spanish) advocated for the swift implementation of the pay transparency directive and greater recognition of care professions.
Evelyn Regner (S&D, Austrian) pointed out that women’s freedom also depended on their financial freedom. Li Andersson (The Left, Finnish), calling for effective political decisions on real equal pay, argued that “in Europe, one euro is 88 cents for women”.
Abir Al-Sahlani (Renew Europe, Swedish) denounced the contradictions in certain political discourse on women’s rights.
Anna Strolenberg (Greens/EFA, Dutch) referred to what she described as a “motherhood penalty”. “If you are a mother today, your pay will be 8% lower than that of a woman who has no children” she said.
Nonetheless, on the far right of the chamber, there were some nuances regarding the approach to the report. Margarita de la Pisa Carrión (PfE, Spanish) took the view that pay differences between sectors do not necessarily amount to discrimination and expressed concern that European regulations were too cumbersome.
European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath, who spoke ahead of the discussions, praised the work of the rapporteurs and referred to the pay transparency directive’s implementation. He also indicated that the Commission was working with the European Institute for Gender Equality on a tool to compare jobs of equal value.
The report, which will be put to the vote on Wednesday 11 March, calls in particular for strengthening childcare and long-term care services and encouraging greater use of parental leave by men.
The report: https://aeur.eu/f/kh4; the compromise amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/kh3 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)