Lønnsgapet mellom kvinner og menn

Lønnsgapet mellom kvinner og menn

Rådskonklusjoner om styrking av engasjement og opptrapping av tiltak for å fjerne lønnsgapet mellom kvinner og menn, og om evaluering av Beijing-handlingsplanens gjennomføring

Rådskonklusjoner vedtatt 6.12.2010
EUs arbeids- og sosialministre ble 6. desember 2010 enige om felles indikatorer for å følge utviklingen av lønnsgapet mellom kvinner og menn, som i EU har et gjennomsnitt på 18 prosent. I rådskonklusjonene oppfordres det samtidig til en serie tiltak for å redusere ulikhetene. Ministrene vedtok også en uttalelse knyttet til Kommisjonens likestillingsstrategi 2010-2015.

Nærmere omtale

BAKGRUNN (fra Rådets pressemelding 6.12.2010, dansk utgave)

Gender equality
Ministers adopted two sets of conclusions on gender equality. The first one, entitled "Support of the implementation of the European Commission's Strategy on equality between women and men 2010-2015" (16880/10), welcomes the strategy and underlines its links with the Europe 2020 strategy. It hereby makes the economic case for equality, which is needed to boost growth and employment, and is a prerequisite for reaching the headline target of a 75% employment rate for women and men. By adopting the conclusions, ministers also invited the European Council to adapt and improve the European pact for gender equality.

The new strategy replaces the Commission's "Roadmap for equality between women and men
(2006-2010)", which was supported by the European Council of March 2006 in the form of a European pact for gender equality.

The second set of conclusions concerns the fight against inequalities in salaries between women and men. By adopting the text, ministers emphasized the need for a more detailed understanding of the gender pay gap, which still averages 18% in the EU. The conclusions invites the members states to adopt or pursue a comprehensive set of measures to tackle the full range of causes of the gender pay gap linked to labour market inequalities between women and men, and coordinating the actions of all relevant key actors, particularly the social partners, at all levels.

Members states and the Commission are invited to take the necessary steps to monitor the gender pay gap and monitor progress on a regular basis by using main indicators, and taking into account the methodology of the Structure of Earnings Survey (SES) and consider complementary indicators. Ministers took also note of a report prepared by the Belgian Presidency on the issue of gender pay gap (16881/10 ADD 1 + 16516/10 ADD 2). Belgium also revised the set of indicators that were developed under its previous presidency in 2001.