The Gender Pay Gap: Women Are Still Paying the Price of Inequality

The Largest Pay Gaps in Finance and Insurance

The gender pay gap is generally much lower for newcomers to the job market but widens in older age groups.

Eurostat’s findings show that the sectors with the largest pay gaps are finance and insurance. In these sectors, the pay gap ranges from 14% in Belgium to 36.4% in the Czech Republic.

Private Sector vs. Public Sector Pay Gaps

In 2023, across all EU countries with available data, except for Hungary and Slovenia, the gender pay gap in absolute numbers was higher in the private sector than in the public sector.

This could be due to the fact that, in most EU countries, public sector salaries are determined by transparent pay scales, which apply equally to both men and women.

The pay gap in the private sector ranged from 6.1% in Belgium to 21.6% in Cyprus, while in the public sector it ranged from -4.1% in Cyprus to 19.7% in Hungary.

Why Do Men and Women Work Part-Time in the EU?

While adult or child care remains the most common reason (27.2%) that women work part-time, men appear to have the privilege of working part-time due to other reasons, though less frequently.