Women in the EU would have to work fifteen and a half months to earn the same as men do in a year

BarcelonaGender equality remains a distant goal. This is made clear by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE): women would have to work 15 months and 18 days to earn what men earn in a year. In other words, on average, women earn only 77% of what men earn. The European Institute confirms what the European Commission already stated: November 17th was the symbolic date on which women in the European Union began to work for free.

"Women are working the equivalent of a quarter ghost “This entire period is being taken away for free,” denounces Carlien Scheele, director of the EIGE, in the new gender equality index published this Tuesday. This time not only stops counting towards pensions, but it also can't be enjoyed with family, studying, training, or resting. The gender pension gap is 25% in the EU, and this, at a very general level, is related to power and control. Women who earn less have less decision-making power, less savings, fewer opportunities in life, and less power to make decisions within the family and about their future,” explains Jolanta Reingarde, senior researcher and head of the Research and Statistics team at the EIGE, to ARA. “It's not just about numbers. It's about the ability to have a voice, to be able to express opinions and make decisions about their future and even about the future of their children and their family unit.”

Although the data represents an improvement compared to 69% in 2015, the index warns that full equality will not arrive for another half-century, with a lot of luck and, above all, progress of 0.7 points each year. "Europe has made progress, but too slowly. More and more women are working, but they don't hold enough well-paid positions, nor do they hold enough decision-making positions," adds Scheele.

The EIGE also points out that women with partners earn 30% less than their male counterparts, and the difference reaches up to 50% in the case of young, migrant, or highly educated women in Spain.

Spain continues to generally meet expectations regarding gender equality. Spain scores 70.9 out of 100, maintaining its position as the fourth highest-scoring country, behind only Sweden, France, and Denmark. The European average is 63.4 points, with Cyprus at the bottom of the list at 47.6 points. Since 2015, Ireland, Spain, and Malta have increased their scores by approximately 13 points, followed by Luxembourg and Belgium with increases of around 10 points. Latvia, Croatia, and Hungary have seen more modest gains. Bulgaria is the only member state to have experienced a decrease in its score, by 0.7 points.

"Traditionally, countries like Cyprus, Malta, and Italy have a lower female employment rate and, in general, a very limited presence of women in public life and decision-making. This generates deeply ingrained stereotypes, such as the belief that a woman's role is within the family and whether or not it should be. Conversely, in Nordic countries, for example, the state plays an important role by providing services that, in the south, are still considered women's responsibility, such as household chores." According to the expert, Spain overcomes this cultural burden and is an example of how government strategy, political will, and investment in a gender perspective can make a difference.

The report also reveals worrying paradoxes: there are more women than men with higher education, but many are oriented towards disciplines feminizedThis means that their academic success does not translate into equal opportunities in the workplace or for leadership positions. Motherhood continues to affect women's career paths. Furthermore, men still believe that if they earn more, it is because their jobs are "more demanding," an idea that fewer and fewer women, especially younger ones, share.

This year, the index, which since 2013 has become a benchmark for analyzing and comparing the gender policies of member states, has broadened its scope to include various areas of equality (work, money, knowledge, time, power, and health) and has added gender-based violence, which, according to the European Institute, remains widespread. 31% of adult women experience physical and sexual violence at some point in their lives, with greater exposure among women under 45. Looking ahead, the EIGE researcher is clear: it is essential to properly implement European Union directives, such as those on work-life balance, pay transparency, and gender-based violence, adopted during the Commission's previous term. Furthermore, all governments must make a genuine commitment to gender equality, allocating resources to the relevant mechanisms and ensuring that all areas of state policy take gender inequalities into account. "It shouldn't just be a concern for the Ministry of Equality; it must be a concern for all ministries, agencies, and departments of the government," Reingarde concludes.