BRUSSELS – The wage gap between men and women amounts to 15 percent. This emerged from the first wage gap report. Only 46 percent of this difference can be explained, the rest has no justification and points to discrimination says Minister for Employment Peter Vanvelthoven.

This first official report on the wage gap between the sexes was commissioned by the government, which plans to develop an active policy against wage discrimination on the basis of the report’s findings. The report was put together by the Institute for the Equality of Men and Women and the federal government department for employment, labour and social consultation.

The report shows that the wage gap on the basis of average monthly wages comes to 15 percent for fulltime workers in industry and services. Between 1999 and 2004 (the period covered by the report), there was a very slight downward trend.

The total difference between wages received by men and those received by women came to EUR 3.267 billion. The wage gap tends to become wider in the course of a career and is greatest among the highly educated.

[Copyright Expatica News 2007]

Subject: Belgian news