The wage gap between men and women is lower in countries where women form a high proportion of trade union members, according to the latest survey from EIRO (the European Industrial Relations Observatory).
The country with the highest proportion of female trade unionists is Finland, where they form 53 per cent of members. Women there earn 86.2 per cent of the average male wage. In the EU as a whole, women form 39.2 per cent of trade union membership and earn 79 per cent of the average male wage.
In Sweden, women comprise 52 per cent of trade unionists and earn 82 per cent of the average male wage. In Denmark, women comprise 48.8 per cent of trade unionists and earn 82.9 per cent of the average male wage.
Ireland is next, with women comprising 42 per cent of trade unionists. They earn 84.5 per cent of the average male wage. In the UK, women comprise 38.5 per cent of trade unionists and earn 82 per cent of the average male wage.
In Austria, women comprise 32.1 per cent of trade unionists and earn 65 per cent of the average male wage. In Germany, women earn 73 per cent of the average male wage despite comprising only 30.4 per cent of trade unionists. However, the German figures are distorted by significantly higher trade union membership in the former German Democratic Republic, where women earn 79.8 per cent of the male wage.
An important factor in the gap between male and female earnings throughout the EU is the fact that women tend to work shorter hours - an average of 37.9 hours per week, compared with 40.3 for men.