Doc. 11260
18 avril 2007

The gender pay gap

Motion for a resolution
presented by Ms Čurdová and others

1.        The Treaty of Rome 1957 and the Equal Pay Directive of 1975 established the principle of equal pay for women and men for work of equal value. Despite these regulations, a “gender pay gap” remains and the goal of equal pay for equal work is still far from being achieved in Europe.

2.        The gender pay gap has remained one of the consistent areas of inequality between women and men. Estimates vary on the extent of the pay gap, ranging from 15 to 20%. There are many factors contributing to the gender pay gap: occupational segregation (the increase in female employment is being achieved mainly in occupations which are dominated by women and characterised by low pay), inequalities in access to education and training, differences between women and men in terms of hours worked (women are over-represented in part-time work for which they earn less than full-time workers), the imbalance in the sharing of family responsibilities between women and men. The “pension gap” is the continuation of the pay gap after retirement.

3.        Equal pay legislation, equal opportunities policies and relevant wage policies are neither effective nor adequate, given that affordable, accessible and high-quality care for dependants and people with additional support needs, and women-sensitive leave arrangements have not been intrinsic components of the effort to close the pay gap.

4.        Many efforts remain necessary to close the gender pay gap in both the private and public sectors, and concrete objectives are required, both at European level and at national levels.

5.        The Assembly thus calls on all member states of the Council of Europe to find more innovative ways to ensure that women receive equal pay for work of equal value at last.

Signed ¹:

• ČURDOVÁ Anna, Czech Republic, SOC
• AUSTIN John, United Kingdom, SOC
• BRANGER Jean-Guy, France, EPP/CD
• CIRCENE Ingrida, Latvia, EPP/CD
• CLIVETI Minodora, Romania, SOC
• DEL ROIO José Luiz, Italy, UEL
• FERNÁNDEZ AGUILAR Adolfo, Spain, EPP/CD
• GAJDŮŠKOVÁ Alena, Czech Republic, SOC
• HÄGG Carina, Sweden, SOC
• MIKUTIENĖ, Dangutė, Lithuania, ALDE
• NAGHDALYAN, Hermine, Armenia, ALDE
• ÖGMUNDSDÓTTIR, Gudrún, Iceland, SOC
• PERICLEOUS PAPADOPOULOS, Antigoni, Cyprus, ALDE
• ROSEIRA, Maria de Belém, Portugal, SOC
• STANTCHEVA, Darinka, Bulgaria, ALDE

¹     SOC: Socialist Group
      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
      ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
      EDG: European Democratic Group
      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
      NR: not registered in a group