The gender pay gap — the difference in average earnings between men and women — persists across most industries and countries. In the EU, women earn on average around 13% less than men per hour worked, though this varies significantly by sector.

The causes are complex and contested. Some point to occupational segregation — women are overrepresented in lower-paid sectors such as care work and education. Others highlight the maternity penalty: research consistently shows that women's earnings drop after having children, while men's often rise.

Unconscious bias also plays a role in hiring and promotion decisions. Studies have shown that identical CVs with female names receive fewer callbacks than those with male names in certain sectors.

Increasing pay transparency — requiring companies to publish salary data — is seen by many as the most effective structural fix. When employees can see what colleagues earn, discriminatory gaps become harder to sustain.