Wage inequality: In France, women earn on average 15.8% less than men

Incredible as it may seem, we are in 2022 and yes, women are on average still and even less well paid than men. According to the statistical agency Eurostat, the average pay gap is around 13% at European level. In France the figure is unfortunately higher: for the same working hours, women earn on average 15.8% less than their male colleagues.

But – cocorico – we always do better than our European neighbors: in Latvia the figure rises to 22% while in Germany and Austria it exceeds 18%.

November 4, 2022, 9:10 am

Based on statistics compiled by Eurostat, the feminist newsletter Les Glorieuses has set the theoretical date every year since 2016 when French women start working “for free”. This year is today, November 4th at 9:10 am.. In 2021 it was November 3 and in 2020 it was November 6.

“If the data has been at a standstill for 6 years, however, we can see a real change in mentality: these wage disparities are increasingly criticized and have simply become unacceptable for a large part of the population,” says Rebecca Amsellem, economist and founder of Glorious.

As every year, the collective draws up a list of requests by petition in order to challenge the public authorities on the matter.

“In fact, these have been the same requests for several years. First, there is the principle of applying conditional parity, which links the allocation of public funds to compliance with equal pay in a company. There is also a demand for wage increases for jobs mainly held by women and who have been at the forefront of the health emergency. Remember that they represent 87% of the nursing staff and 66% of the school teachers ”, underlines Rebecca Amsellem.

There is also a request for creation of equally paid parental leave for mothers and fathers, similar to the model applied in Sweden. “The current paternity leave is too inadequate,” complains the economist. “Implementing paternity leave of the same length would also change the way men look at their manhood. Our feminist revolution is not just about women: it must also allow men to question masculinity and patriarchy ”.

Read with more concrete effects

In France, the legislator addressed the problem of wage inequality several decades ago. “The law establishing the principle of equal pay for women and men dates back to 1972″indicates Dominique Meurs, economist, professor and researcher at the University of Paris-Nanterre in the Economix laboratory. Since that date, new laws have been enacted, but it is clear that the results are still insufficient, despite the growing awareness. “The implementation of the equal pay index in 2019 has in particular increased the interest of large companies on the subject” continues the economist.

This index is based on 5 criteria, including in particular the pay differences and the promotion rate between women and men. Companies (with 50 employees) that score less than 75/100 must take corrective measures as soon as possible. Incapacitated students for more than 3 consecutive years will be fined, as well as schools that have not declared their index..

The average company score for 2022 is 86/100. This is only 1 point higher than in 2021.

Increased corporate awareness

According to Dominique Meurs, large companies are increasingly sensitive to the principle of equality due to the index of equal pay, but also to the evolution of customs. “Many of them are working to obtain world-renowned certifications from independent bodies. The EDGE certification (Economics Dividends for Gender Equality ed) is one of the most recognized and demanding, with 3 levels of competence. »The certification is renewable every 2 years, which encourages companies not to slacken their efforts in terms of equal pay and equality at work. Self for Rebecca Amsellem the approach is also “an excellent communication strategy” for companies“In the end, any initiative that makes it possible to stem inequalities remains a good initiative”.

Cover image: Unsplash / Christina @ wocintechchat.com