From today, women in the EU symbolically work for free as gender pay gap persists

"Women across the EU symbolically begin "working for free" from today, as the bloc marks the point in the calendar when pay inequality means women, on average, stop earning relative to men. With the EU gender pay gap standing at 12%, 22 November represents the date after which women's work is, in effect, unpaid compared with their male colleagues. The European Commission used the occasion to warn that progress on closing the gap remains painfully slow and could take decades at the current pace."

"Despite legal protections and growing public awareness, the Commission said women continue to face a complex mix of structural, social and discriminatory barriers that depress wages and limit career opportunities. These include job segregation, motherhood penalties, pay discrimination, cultural expectations and unequal responsibility for unpaid care work. Officials pointed to persistent gender stereotyping that begins in childhood - with girls more often praised for appearance than ability, and encouraged toward caring professions that are undervalued and lower paid."

The EU gender pay gap averages 12%, meaning women effectively stop earning relative to men from 22 November onward. The European Commission warns that progress on closing the gap is slow and could take decades at the current pace. Pay inequality undermines economic growth, entrenches poverty and limits the talent pipeline. Women face structural, social and discriminatory barriers including job segregation, motherhood penalties, pay discrimination, cultural expectations and unequal unpaid care responsibilities. Persistent gender stereotyping begins in childhood and channels girls into lower-paid caring professions. Early salary gaps, maternity leave and part-time work compound across lifetimes.

Read at Business Matters