Same work, unequal pay?

Imagine it’s 2023 and women* are still paid 18 percent less than men for the same work on average. Sad, but unfortunately true.

But there is also good news: Just in mid-February, the Federal Labor Court ruled in a high-profile landmark decision that women* are entitled to the same pay as their male colleagues. This applies even if men have negotiated higher salaries.

In Saxony-Anhalt, the wage gap of 6 percent is smaller than the national average, according to a recent report by the State Statistics Office. Women* and men earn about the same here up to the age of 30. Among those under 20, women* even earn 8 percent more on average. It is only after the age of 30 that the pay gap widens. This is also roughly the age at which women* have their first child.

The 🚦 federal government has set out to further close the pay gap between women* and men. For example, the Pay Transparency Act is to be further developed and employee rights strengthened.