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Gender pay and pension gap in the EU: state of play, challenges and the way forward, and developing guidelines for the better evaluation and fairer remuneration of work in female-dominated sectors

TA-10-2026-0074 · P10_TA(2026)0074 · PE778.042

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Parliament's resolution on the gender pay and pension gap in the EU describes the state of play, challenges, and ways forward. It calls for measures to close the gaps, including gender-neutral job evaluation, better care infrastructure, and support for women in high-value sectors.

Key points

  1. Recalls that equal pay for equal work or work of equal value is a founding EU principle and that Member States must eliminate gender-based discrimination in remuneration and working conditions.
  2. Regrets the persistence of gender pay and pension gaps and notes that current progress is insufficient to close them before 2100; welcomes the EU anti-poverty strategy and asks for synergy with the gender equality strategy.
  3. Calls on Member States to take targeted measures to prevent and combat gender-based violence and harassment, including ratification of ILO Convention 190.
  4. Calls for policies that support families, promote work-life balance, and encourage both men and women to share caring responsibilities, while ensuring care work is respected and fairly valued.
  5. Stresses that closing gender gaps is essential for equality and competitiveness; notes that gender gaps cost the EU EUR 390 billion in 2023 and that closing the employment gap could increase GDP per capita by 3.2% to 5.5% by 2050.
  6. Calls for the full implementation and monitoring of the Gender Balance on Corporate Boards Directive and encourages SMEs to follow best practice on gender balance in management.
  7. Calls on the Commission and Member States to fully implement the European care strategy, set national targets for childcare and long-term care coverage, and earmark resources for care services.
  8. Calls on the Commission to develop guidelines and a European pilot project for gender-neutral job evaluation and classification systems, allowing for EU-wide comparison of work of equal value.
  9. Calls for a European care deal with a specific care investment package and a dedicated funding stream under the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework to support informal carers.
  10. Calls on Member States to ensure gender-sensitive social protection systems, including care credits for pension entitlements, and to integrate gender pension gap indicators into the EU Social Scoreboard.
  11. Calls for improved collection and publication of gender-disaggregated data on pay and pension gaps, and asks Eurostat to complement the gender pay gap indicator with a standardised gender time gap indicator.
  12. Calls for swift transposition and implementation of the Pay Transparency Directive and the Gender Balance on Corporate Boards Directive, and urges the Commission to ensure robust enforcement.

Who is affected

  • Women workers, particularly in female-dominated sectors such as care, healthcare, education, and social work.
  • Employers, including SMEs, are encouraged to implement gender equality plans and best practice in pay transparency.
  • Informal carers, including grandparents providing regular childcare, are targeted for care credits and support.
  • Third-country migrant women in low-skilled, insecure jobs are to be protected from discrimination and exploitation.
  • Women with disabilities face multiple barriers; calls for equal access to quality jobs and funding.

Figures and deadlines

  • In 2023, the EU gender gap in hourly pay was 12%, exceeding 18% in some Member States.
  • In 2024, 7.7% of men worked part-time compared to 27.9% of women.
  • In 2021, 74% of women did housework and cooking daily, compared with 42% of men.
  • The gender pension gap stood at 25% in 2025.
  • In 2024, 16.9% of retired women were at risk of poverty, nearly double the rate for retired men.
  • Care responsibilities keep approximately 7.7 million women out of the labour market, compared to 450,000 men.
  • Gender gaps in pay and employment cost the EU EUR 390 billion in 2023.
  • Around 6.8 million people work as undeclared paid care workers in the EU, of whom 90% are women.

Legal basis: Articles 2 and 3(3) TEU; Articles 8, 10, 19, 151, 153 and 157 TFEU