Closing the gap: gender equality in Europe
Publication Date/Time
2026-04-22T13:12:00+00:00
Country
Europe
Insights from the Gender Equality Index: work patterns and income gaps
How differently do men and women experience life in Europe today? 

Over recent decades, the roles of men and women in Europe have
shifted. More women participate in the labour market, and more men
share responsibilities at home. Yet clear differences in gender roles
remain in European societies, from who reaches positions of power to
how household tasks are shared. This underlines why the EU continues
to support progress towards gender equality through its 2026–2030
gender equality strategy
[https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/gender-equality/gender-equality-strategy_en#gender-equality-strategy-2026-2030]. 

In this context, this data story uses open data – mainly from the
European Institute for Gender Equality
[https://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/dgs/] (EIGE) and the
European Data Portal
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets?locale=en] – to explore how
gender inequalities continue to shape life in Europe and what progress
still lies ahead. 

 

WHAT DOES THE GENDER EQUALITY INDEX REVEAL ABOUT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
MEN AND WOMEN? 

Who holds power, who earns more and who carries the greater share of
unpaid work? Across Europe, these questions often still have gendered
answers. 

EIGE’s Gender Equality Index provides a structured way to measure
these differences across key areas of social and economic life.
FIGURE 1 shows how EU Member States perform across the index’s six
domains
[https://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/dgs/indicator/index__index_scores/datatable] –
work, money, knowledge, time, power and health – on a scale from 1
to 100 (with a score of 100 representing complete parity between men
and women). With an EU average score of 63.4, the data shows that
equality between men and women is far from achieved. 

Looking across the domains of the index at the EU level, it becomes
clear where men and women experience the biggest differences.
‘Power’ (40.5) is the lowest scoring domain, illustrating how
difficult it remains for women to access political influence, senior
management and other leadership positions across Europe.
‘Knowledge’ (57.4) and ‘time’ (65.0) show that women are still
encouraged to remain in traditionally female fields of study, such as
those linked to care or education roles, and tend to carry more unpaid
responsibilities. ‘Work’ (69.3) and ‘money’ (73.9) reflect
long-standing patterns, with women generally earning less and being
less present in better-paid or senior roles. ‘Health’ (86.2) is
the strongest domain, though women still face more unequal outcomes in
healthcare than men. 

The differences between Member States are just as striking. Sweden
(73.7), France (73.4) and Denmark (71.8) rank at the top of the index,
reflecting more equal outcomes for women overall. At the lower end,
Cyprus (47.6), Hungary (51.6) and Czechia (53.2) show wider gender
gaps. Much of this spread comes from the ‘power’ domain, which
differs far more between countries than the other domains. 

This means that countries with higher overall scores on the index tend
to have more women in senior positions, while those at the lower end
have far fewer women in influential roles. This gap also points to
where change can matter the most: ensuring that women are equally
represented in decision-making roles. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/1.equality-01.png]
FIGURE 1: GENDER EQUALITY INDEX BY DOMAIN IN THE EU 

_Sources_: European Institute for Gender Equality
[https://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/dgs/indicator/index__index_scores/datatable],
European Data Portal
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/gender-equality-index?locale=en]. 

 

WHO WORKS MORE PART-TIME IN THE EU – WOMEN OR MEN? 

When looking at part-time employment, the findings from the ‘work’
and ‘power’ domains of the Gender Equality Index become clearer.
Working reduced hours can offer flexibility but also limit income and
career progression. Women tend to work part-time far more often than
men, largely because they shoulder more unpaid care work at home, as
reflected in EIGE’s 2024 CARE survey
[https://eige.europa.eu/publications-resources/publications/sharing-care-closing-gender-gaps-care-survey-2024?language_content_entity=en]. 

FIGURE 2 shows how part-time employment developed across the EU
between 2009 and 2024. Throughout this period, the gap between men and
women remained substantial: even though part-time rates for men and
women have shifted slightly over the past 15 years, women still
worked part-time more than three times as often as men in 2024 – a
pattern that has changed little since 2009. In 2024, 28 % of women
worked part-time, compared with 8 % of men. 

Part-time employment patterns also differ significantly across Member
States. In 2024, the Netherlands (60 %) recorded by far the highest
share of part-time work for women, followed by Austria (51 %) and
Germany (48 %). In these three countries, women’s part-time rates
are several times higher than those of men. By contrast, Bulgaria
(2 %) and Romania (4 %) showed comparatively lower levels of
part-time employment for women, with similar rates for men. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/1.equality-02.png]
FIGURE 2: PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT RATES BY SEX IN THE EU 

_Sources_: European Institute for Gender Equality
[https://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/dgs/indicator/ta_wrklab_lab_employ_fullpart__lfsa_eftpt/bar/year:2024/geo:EU27_2020,EA20,BE,BG,CZ,DK,DE,EE,IE,EL,ES,FR,HR,IT,CY,LV,LT,LU,HU,MT,NL,AT,PL,PT,RO,SI,SK,FI,SE,IS,NO,CH,UK,ME,MK,RS,TR,BA/age:Y15-64/sex:M,W/unit:THS_PER/worktime:TOTAL/wstatus:EMP],
European Data Portal
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/qber2qtfseeiuyspcbya?locale=en],
Eurostat
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsi_pt_a__custom_20029613/default/table]. 

 

The data shows that part-time employment remains strongly gendered
across the EU, with much higher rates in western Europe and much lower
rates in central and eastern Europe. According to the CARE survey,
women continue to adjust their working hours more often than men in
response to care responsibilities, a pattern that affects earnings,
work opportunities and ultimately contributes to widening income gaps
(see section below). 

 

HOW DO INCOME GAPS BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN CHANGE OVER WORKING LIFE AND
INTO RETIREMENT? 

Regardless of the extent of part-time versus full-time work, men still
tend to earn more than women across the EU, and these differences add
up over a lifetime. It stands to reason that lower salaries, part-time
work and interrupted careers translate into smaller pensions later in
life for many women. But how large are the gaps between men and women
of working age and those who have already retired? 

FIGURE 3 presents the mean income levels for men and women aged 18
to 64 (working age) and aged 65 and over (retired age) across the EU,
along with the income gaps between them. Among people aged 18 to 64,
the gap is relatively modest at the aggregated EU level, with women
earning around 3 % less than men on average. Among those aged 65 and
over, however, the difference between men and women widens
substantially to around 11 %. 

A similar pattern appears in many Member States. For example, in
Estonia and Austria, gaps of 1 % and 3 % during working age widen
sharply to around 15 % and 19 %, respectively, at retired age.
Even where earnings seem nearly equal earlier in life, disparities
often become much more visible in retirement. This means that many
women reach retirement age with a significantly lower pension income
to rely on. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/1.equality-03.png]
FIGURE 3: MEAN INCOME LEVELS BY AGE GROUP AND SEX IN THE EU 

_Sources_: European Institute for Gender Equality
[https://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/dgs/indicator/ta_livcond_inc_incdist_meanmedian__ilc_di03],
European Data Portal
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/praxgsgayvtmqwfufzwdzq?locale=en]. 

 

Overall, the data underlines the long-term consequences of unequal pay
and career patterns. This reinforces the need for structural solutions
that address income inequality at its roots. 

 

CONCLUSION 

The data reveals a Europe where progress towards gender equality is
real but uneven. 

Women participate more in paid work
[https://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/dgs/indicator/ta_wrklab_lab_employ_fullpart__lfsa_eftpt/datatable?age=Y15-64&sex=W&unit=THS_PER&worktime=TOTAL&wstatus=EMP&col=time&row=geo]
than in the past, yet gaps persist in who does unpaid care work and
who shapes key decisions. These differences accumulate over time, with
modest income gaps and higher rates of part-time work among women
translating into lower pensions later in life. 

The picture varies across Member States, but the underlying patterns
are consistent: when opportunities, time and influence are not shared
equally, men and women do not enjoy the same outcomes in daily life. 

By making these inequalities visible, open data helps clarify where
change is most needed and supports efforts to build a Europe where men
and women can participate, progress and age on equal terms. 

  
