She works hard for the money
German women are struggling to make as much as men in the workplace
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Our latest report on equality finds us in Germany, where statistics show that women earn 23.2% less than their male colleagues - a figure over 5% higher than the European average. The EU has condemned the gap and 26 March will mark “Equal Pay Day” in Germany. But why are they so far behind?
Germany currently ranks fourth from bottom in the EU when it comes to the gender pay pack.
Claudia Menne is the head of gender equality and women's policy at the confederation of German trade unions. She points to the fact that export oriented industries pay more than the social sector, where women traditionally work.
As well as this, less than 10% of children aged 3 years and under have access to day care in Germany, compared to 23% in other industrialized nations. This phenomenon is forcing more and more women from fulltime into part-time employment. Part-time hours means part-time pay and given Germany doesn’t have a minimum wage (Germany regulates low wages through industry specific collective agreements), the pay cheque isn’t always substantial.
“The Industrial Relations campaign is for a minimum wage of €7.50. Then people with jobs like cleaning or working at a bakery - all those jobs that are paid really badly - could be better paid,” equal opportunity representative Kerstin Drobick told us.
This will be the third annual Equal Pay Day in Germany. As well as press conferences, workshops and lectures throughout the country, a demonstration will be held in front of the Brandenburg Gate to raise awareness of the problem.
For more in our series on gender equality in Europe see:
Women's Day sheds socialist stigma
A matter of honour... tackling honour killings in Turkey
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