Europe's Gender Pay Gap: A Persistent Challenge

The gender pay gap in Europe has seen a reduction from 16% in 2013 to 12% in 2023, yet disparities persist. Women's earnings still trail men's by 12% on average, with variations across the continent.

Luxembourg is unique, where women earn slightly more than men, while Latvia shows the largest gap at 19%. Eastern and Central European countries typically exhibit larger disparities than their Southern counterparts.

Notably, Nordic countries exceed the EU average gap. Among major EU economies, Italy stands out with a near-equal pay ratio, while Germany and the UK show significant gaps.

Contributing factors include sectoral segregation and pay transparency issues. Although efforts like the EU's Pay Transparency Directive aim to bridge this divide, challenges remain, as seen with Turkey's staggering 38 percentage point employment gap favoring men.