Gender pay gap

The gender pay gap represents the difference between the average gross hourly wages of women and men, expressed as a percentage of the average pay for men. It is expressed as follows: Gender pay gap = (hourly wage for men - hourly wage for women) / hourly wage for men The statistical population consists of all employees in enterprises: with at least 10 employees; whose main economic activity is classified under the NACE Rev.2 sections B-S (-O). There are no restrictions according to age or working hours. The gender pay gap therefore includes both full-time and part-time employees. The concept of “wage” applied includes paid overtime as well as premiums that are paid at each payment period. Examples include premiums for night or weekend shifts. Premiums that are only paid exceptionally, such as thirteenth-month pay or double holiday pay, are excluded. The gender pay gap is calculated every four years based on the survey on earnings. This was the case for the reference years 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022. In the intervening years, Statbel estimates the pay gap based on NSSO data. For this, the figures from the most recent survey on earnings are updated based on an evolution derived from the NSSO datasets. The figures for 2023 were estimated in this way. Finally, the national estimates are revised by Eurostat once every four years, namely after the publication of a new survey on earnings. The figures for the years 2007-2009, 2011-2013, 2015-2017 and 2019-2021 were then calculated by Eurostat.