The Gender Pay Gap in Ireland Stands at 14.4%

The European Commission has revealed that men are paid on average 14.4 per cent more an hour than women in Ireland. According to the Sunday Business Post, on an annual basis the gap in Ireland widens to 34.7 per cent. The gender pay gap was found to exist in all sectors and occupations. It also widens as the workforce gets older which, in turn, has an impact on the pension gap. To put this into wider context, male workers in the European Union earn, on average, 16.3 per cent more an hour than female workers. The findings, which were released to coincide with Equal Pay Day, supports the results of our 'Slice of Ireland' research. Almost three quarters of Her.ie readers said that they don’t believe that women are treated equally to their male counterparts in Ireland. Over 60 per cent said that they felt that women are not equal to men in terms of employment opportunities and 70 per cent said that they felt women are not equal to men in terms of wages The main motivation for women accepting a job offer was also found to be career progression (this was followed by money).