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Rally in March 2021 for Equal Pay Day in Berlin (archive photo)
Photo: Stefan Boness / imago images / IPON
According to the EU Commission, women earn an average of 14 percent less than men in the European Union. "Although equal pay for men and women has been anchored in the EU treaties for more than 60 years, it is still not completely a reality," said the EU Commission in the run-up to European Equal Pay Day on Wednesday. In Germany, the wage difference between women and men was around 19 percent in 2019, according to the Eurostat statistics agency.
"Despite some improvements in the position of women in social and professional life, the wage differences are still large and deeply rooted," said EU Commissioners Věra Jourová, Nicolas Schmit and Helena Dalli.
One of the reasons they cited was that it was mostly women who continued to take care of the children and were more likely to work part-time.
In addition, they are more often represented in the low-wage sector.
The wage gap of around 14 percent corresponds to around two months' salary, said the EU Commission.
That is why European Equal Pay Day falls on 10 November this year.
This is a "symbolic day" from which on average women arithmetically continue to work until the end of the year, in contrast to men without a salary.
kfr / AFP