Women paid 9% less than men

Women still get paid less than men and in Cyprus this difference is nine per cent, gender equality commissioner Iosifina Antoniou said on Sunday, marked around the world as International Equal Pay Day.

“Despite the initiatives, instructions and laws that have been introduced the pay gap continues to exist in member states of the EU, including Cyprus,” she said in a message to mark the day.

“In the EU as a whole the pay gap is 13 per cent, while in our country the last recorded gap is below the EU average, at nine per cent.”

Unfortunately around the world women continue to get paid less for the same work than men, she added.

“In Cyprus, for every €100 a man earns, a woman takes home €9 less. For migrants, refugees and women with disabilities the amount paid is many times even lower”.

The inequalities between men and women in the labour market are fueled and intensified in other areas of life, she added.

“While the legislative framework exists, the gap has not been eliminated and we should work to find solutions, since laws alone have failed to bring balance, starting with acknowledging the gap and highlighting the benefits that will arise from its minimisation and its elimination”.

International Equal Pay Day is marked around the world on September 18.