Le donne in Europa percepiscono in media una retribuzione inferiore del 17% rispetto agli uomini. To determine this, the survey on the EU Gender Equality carried out by Eurobarometer 2009: Throughout Europe there are huge differences, these range from more than 20% in countries such as Estonia, Austria, Slovakia and the Netherlands, to less than 10% in Italy, Poland and Malta. There are many causes that can explain this social condition. The first is that women's work is often undervalued compared to men's work. Furthermore, as family obligations fall more on women, they are often forced to obtain a shorter working time and flexible.
In the 27 EU Member States more than eight out of ten citizens believe that urgent action is needed to address this gender pay gap. In this context, the European Commission has launched, for the second consecutive year, a communication campaign aimed at raising public awareness and promote initiatives aimed at alleviating the problem.
March 5, 2010
Cristina Sanna
