Extremely unfair. 20% less.

Imagine if men always got 20% less pizza than women. Unfair, right?

Just as unfair as the gender pay gap. Internationally, this stands at 20%. This means that women earn on average 20% less than men.

What is the gender pay gap?

On average, women earn less than men. This difference in earnings is referred to as the gender pay gap.

There are a variety of reasons for the gender pay gap. Women are more likely than men to work part-time or in lower-paid occupations and industries. But even with the samw qualifications and expertise, women earn less than their male colleagues. Over the past 20 years, these inequalities have hardly improved worldwide, including in Germany. The pay gap for self-employed women is even higher worldwide than for women in employment.

What does this have to do with you and me – regardless of whether we are male or female?

Gender equality itself means, first and foremost, treating all people equally without discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities – including equal pay.

Gender equality is a key lever for combating poverty, improving healthcare, expanding education systems, promoting equal opportunities for all, and much more.

Poor pay in professions that are often dominated by women, such as healthcare, education and nursing, leads to staff shortages in particularly important areas. Ultimately, everyone benefits from greater investment in gender equality.

In a society where women have equal rights, men's life expectancy also increases. That should be a pretty good reason for men to get involved in the fight for equality. [1]

What can I do to ensure fair pay?

• Share this page and the video. Only when we talk about injustices can change happen.
• Are you familiar with the German Transparency in Remuneration Act? Since 2017, this law has given employees the right to information about wage structures at their workplace. The law was introduced to counteract the gender pay gap.
• Are you earning less than your male colleagues? Stand up for yourself, speak openly about this injustice and demand what you are entitled to!
• Are you a man who sees wage inequality among your female colleagues? Show solidarity and stand up for your female colleagues.
• You are an employer yourself: take a critical look at your salary structures!
• Support fair trade products from the Global South to promote wage equality elsewhere.

Where does Germany stand in international comparison?

In 2024, women earned an average of 16% less per hour than men (unadjusted gender pay gap). In 2023, this figure was still 18%. This two-percentage-point decline is the sharpest since 2006 and marks significant progress. [2] However, Germany still ranks among the lowest in Europe in terms of the gender pay gap. Positive examples include Luxembourg, Italy and Romania. [3]

It is therefore important to continue rasising awareness of this issue in Germany and to remain committed to it!

Does anyone even care about this on a global level?

Yes! At the international level, issues such as gender equality between men and women are an important topic. Agenda 2030 aims to achieve gender equality, i.e. fair, equitable, gender-neutral treatment of women and men, with its Sustainable Development Goal 5. However, this can only be achieved if equal pay, i.e. equal remuneration for equal work with comparable training, applies.

Another sub-goal (Goal 8.5) of the 2030 Agenda explicitly calls for full employment and decent work with equal pay, which includes not only gender equality but also equality for people with disabilities. [4] An important player advocating for these issues at the global level is the Equal Pay International Coalition.

Do women really earn less in all positions?

The gender pay gap describes the difference in gross hourly earnings between women and men. A distinction is made between the unadjusted and adjusted gender pay gap.

The unadjusted gender pay gap considers the wage difference without taking into account factors such as occupation, industry, scope of employment or qualifications. This means that it shows the wage gap that is also caused by structural differences such as career choice or career level.

The adjusted gender pay gap, on the other hand, calculates these structural differences. It therefore shows how big the earnings gap between women and men is when both are working in comparable positions with similar qualifications and employment histories.

The adjusted gender pay gap in Germany is still 6%. [5]