In early July 2024, it was in the news that female judges and officers in the Netherlands are structurally paid less than their male colleagues. This difference in pay ranges from 3.5 percent to almost 10 percent. Salient detail is that 60 percent of judges in the Netherlands are women.
It is a common perception. Even though unequal pay has been prohibited by law since 1975, there is still a large pay gap between women and men. Instead of narrowing, that gap is only widening. The National Salary Survey in 2023 found that the pay gap between men and women doing equivalent work increased from 5 to 7.4 percent in the previous two years.
Flevoland largest wage gap
In Flevoland, the difference in salary between men and women is the greatest. The salary of men is as much as 13.4% higher in our province, according to the same survey. In the province of Groningen, the difference is smallest with 2.8% in favor of men.
“Women’s jobs” in lower regard
In addition, professions in which women are dominant are held in lower esteem than professions in which men are dominant. This connection was first described in 1968 by Evelyne Sullerot and is now known as Sullerot’s Law. An example is the teaching profession. Men used to be dominant in teaching, but today women are in the majority, and the profession is now often seen as less prestigious and lower paid.
What can you already do yourself now?
The European Commission has introduced a directive to reduce wage discrimination between men and women in order to narrow the wage gap. This directive requires employers to give employees a better understanding of salaries and how they are determined. This will allow employees to better assess whether they are being paid fairly. Employers must therefore provide pre-employment information about the (starting) salary or pay scale of the position. So ask about this when you apply for a new job.
Not getting anywhere with your employer?
Are you facing unequal pay and can’t come to an agreement with your employer? Then you may be dealing with unequal treatment based on gender and that is not allowed under Article 1 of our Constitution.
Would you like help or advice? You can report this via https://discriminatie.nl/discriminatie-melden/. Even if you are not sure whether you are dealing with unequal treatment. Our lawyers will help you and our help is free of charge.
Discrimination.nl/flevoland is part of Bureau Gelijke Behandeling Flevoland.
