News item | 07-12-2023 | 10:59
CBS has conducted new research into the wage differences between men and women on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW). The new ‘Monitor Wage Differences’ for 2022 shows that the wage differences between women and men are still significant. Particularly in the business world, women earn on average almost 7% less than men for comparable work. Women also earn on average almost 2% less in government work. Unacceptable, says Minister Van Gennip (SZW). The pay gap must be closed faster. That is why the minister is working on introducing the European wage transparency directive and is committed to increasing awareness of the position of women in the labor market and promoting equal opportunities.
The Wage Differences Monitor 2022 shows that the unadjusted hourly wage of women in the business community is on average 16.4% lower than that of men. In 2014 this difference was 19.2%. In government, the differences are smaller, but still to the disadvantage of women. In 2022, women earned on average 5.1% less than men. A halving of the difference in hourly wages compared to 2014. The corrected wage differences (corrected on the basis of comparable jobs and comparable characteristics such as age and education level) are lower. Yet women still earn on average 6.9% less in business and 1.8% less in government than men with comparable background characteristics and jobs.
Minister Van Gennip: “We still see that women are paid less than men for the same work. Women are also less likely to progress to higher positions. We cannot accept these differences. Everyone deserves equal opportunities at work. That is why we are continuing with a robust approach on several fronts, such as mandatory transparency about pay differences. And I call on both employers and employees: start a conversation about this, even if it is uncomfortable. How fair is it in your workplace?”
Equal pay for women and men should be a given. Unfortunately, the figures show that this is not the reality and that women still do not have an equal position in the labor market compared to men. That has to be different. The government has therefore taken various measures to close the wage gap. Including the increase in the parental leave payment percentage from 50% to 70% and the ‘Consultation’ dialogue. The dialogue is intended to gain more insight into people’s experiences with gender equality in the labor market and to encourage society to discuss ingrained gender roles. In addition, the government wants to tackle pregnancy discrimination by raising awareness through better information provision, both towards (pregnant) employees and employers.
The adopted European pay transparency directive should also contribute to tackling pay differences between men and women. With the new legislation, employers must become more transparent about pay and pay differences within their organization. There will also be a ban on asking about the last earned salary in employment conditions discussions. This should contribute to a better position for employees by giving them more insight into (possible) wage differences. Minister Van Gennip is working on the speedy implementation of this directive in Dutch legislation.