KOZ: Women in Slovakia Have Higher Level of Education, But Lower Pay Than Men

Bratislava, March 11 (TASR) - The Trade Union Confederation (KOZ) has pointed to the fact that 48 percent of women aged between 25 and 34 had a university degree in 2023, while only 31 percent of men had one. Concerning the productive age of up to 64 years, 30 percent of women had higher education, while the figure was just 22 percent for men. Despite this, women's employment and remuneration rates remain lower, stated KOZ. Female employment increased to 68 percent in 2023, but this is still 8 percentage points (p.p.) lower than male employment, which amounted to 76 percent. According to the unions, differences are visible at the regional level as well. Women in eastern Slovakia have a harder time finding work, with 60 percent of them employed, while as many as 81 percent in Bratislava region have jobs. Slovakia is one of the countries with the highest salary gaps between men and women in the EU. While the EU average is less than 13 percent, the difference in the gross hourly salaries in Slovakia is 16 percent. The unions expect salaries to become equal as late as in 2050 at the current rate of convergence. Women work more often in lower-paid sectors, such as education, health care, social care, retail, or cleaning. Meanwhile, men are employed, for example, in industry or in managerial and executive posts, where salaries are higher. The most visible gender differences in employment are in the age category between 25 and 39 years, mainly due to maternity leave. "We can partly find tools to eliminate gender salary differences in existing legislative measures, such as the discrimination ban, which is enshrined in the Slovak Constitution, the Labour Code, and in the so-called anti-discrimination law, while more favourable measures can be brought about by transposing EU directives. However, relying solely on applicable legislation is not enough," said KOZ president Monika Uhlerova. She stressed the importance of increasing employee coverage by collective agreements and increasing the engagement of women in trade unions, which will improve their working conditions, including their salaries. According to KOZ, Slovakia needs systemic solutions to support women on the labour market. In order to improve the situation, it is necessary, for example, to increase the availability of nursery schools, creches and school clubs, invest in lifelong education, support flexible work and increase the proportion of women in sectors with higher added-value. ko/df