Women across the EU symbolically begin “working for free” from today, as the bloc marks the point in the calendar when pay inequality means women, on average, stop earning relative to men.
With the EU gender pay gap standing at 12%, 22 November represents the date after which women’s work is, in effect, unpaid compared with their male colleagues.
The European Commission used the occasion to warn that progress on closing the gap remains painfully slow and could take decades at the current pace. Leaders said the issue is not only a matter of fairness but one that undermines economic growth, entrenches poverty and limits the EU’s talent pipeline.
Despite legal protections and growing public awareness, the Commission said women continue to face a complex mix of structural, social and discriminatory barriers that depress wages and limit career opportunities. These include job segregation, motherhood penalties, pay discrimination, cultural expectations and unequal responsibility for unpaid care work.
Officials pointed to persistent gender stereotyping that begins in childhood — with girls more often praised for appearance than ability, and encouraged toward caring professions that are undervalued and lower paid. Around 24% of the gender pay gap is estimated to stem from this occupational segregation.
A fictional case study, widely shared by the Commission, illustrates how two equally qualified graduates can quickly diverge in pay and seniority. While “Alex” negotiates confidently, ascends quickly and benefits from workplace mentorship, “Maria” accepts a lower starting salary, takes maternity leave, shifts to part-time hours and shoulders unpaid domestic care — setbacks that compound across a lifetime.
Commission leaders warned this story reflects the lived experience of millions of women across the EU’s labour market.
Executive Vice-President Mînzatu and Commissioner Lahbib reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to building a “Union of Equality”, arguing that economic resilience requires unlocking women’s full potential. They highlighted recent legislation on equal pay, work–life balance, gender balance on corporate boards and pay transparency, designed to dismantle barriers and expose unjustified pay disparities.
The Commission said closing the pay gap would deliver widespread benefits, including higher GDP, greater tax revenues, reduced poverty, a larger skilled workforce and more competitive companies. It also warned that younger generations may one day look back with disbelief that inequality was allowed to persist long after its causes were well understood.
