Women in Europe work 59 days ‘for free’

The gender pay gap, or the average difference between women and men’s hourly earnings across the EU, is 16.2% according to figures released today by the European Commission, reports EU Business. Today is European Equal Pay Day, an EU-wide event marking the extra number of days that women would need to work to match the amount earned by men: currently 59 days. To help tackle the pay gap, the commission is highlighting a series of good practices by companies in Europe which have taken on the problem. It is the third time the Equal Pay Day is taking place at European level. The latest figures are based on 2010 data from across the EU and confirm a slight downward trend in recent years: the figure has been around 17% or higher the previous years. The gender gap in Belgium stands at 10.2%. Slovenia has the most gender-equal pay system, with a 0.9% gap, while Estonia, with a 27.7% gender gap, has the worst figures in the EU.