Real steps towards a level playing field

Roland Erne of UCD College of Business unpacks the evolution of equal pay directives in Europe and outlines how the new EU law strengthens pay equality. The right to equal pay for work of equal value has been in place for years. Despite this, women in Europe still earn much less than men; in 2018 it was 14.4% across the EU and 18.3% in Switzerland. According to a 2021 report by Eurostat, only a small part of this wage discrimination can be explained by structural factors such as age, education, occupation, work experience, type of employment contract, sector, company size, company owner or company location. Even after taking these factors into account, women in the EU still earned 11.2% and Swiss women 12.5% less than men. Why do existing laws fail so miserably when it comes to wage protection for women? The answer lies in the existing laws themselves.