Irish women earn 17% less than men

Published: Thursday, March 01, 2012

Women are still earning substantially less than men in Ireland despite efforts to promote equality in the workplace.

According to a study by the European Commission, women here earn on average 17.1 per cent less than men.

The study also indicated that only 123,000 women in Ireland earn more than €50,000 per year in comparison to 254,000 men.

The report, published today to coincide with European Equal Pay Day, noted the gender pay gap existed even though women did better at school and university than men.

It found women across the European Union earned on average 17 per cent less per hour than their male counterparts.

However, the pay gap varied significantly between countries from below 10 per cent in Belgium, Italy, Slovenia, Poland to above 20 per cent in Britain, Greece, Germany, Austria and Finland.

The study also suggested that younger women suffered less pay discrimination than their older colleagues.

Click here to read the full article from the Irish Times.....