Research: Romanian women could close gender pay gap in 2018
Romanian women could close the gender pay gap in 2018, new research by British firm Expert Market shows. This is the quickest pay gap closure in Europe, and refers to women aged between 25 and 34, working a skilled manual role within the…
RI Newsroom · Journalist
· Updated · 5 min read

Romanian women could close the gender pay gap in 2018, new research by British firm Expert Market shows. This is the quickest pay gap closure in Europe, and refers to women aged between 25 and 34, working a skilled manual role within the private hospitality industry. Previous research by Expert Market showed that Romanian women’s average salaries were 9.1% lower to those of Romanian men. It is the equivalent of a woman not getting paid for her work between end of November and the end of the year. The research modeled current pay gap trends into the future for five economic factors: hours worked, sector, age, industry and job type. The report estimates when women in European countries may get to earn as much as men doing the same work. Polish women could also achieve pay equality in 2018, according to the research. This could happen in 2021 for women aged 45 to 54, working in a service and sales role in the public food & accommodation industry. Women currently aged 34 or under and who worked in some capacity for the government or in the electricity and energy sectors were favored in all of the top performing nations researched as being on the quickest routes to gender pay equality. While gender pay parity could be achieved in Romania in 2018, countries such as the U.K., Portugal and Hungary might wait until 2067-2068. According to the research, Hungary has the slowest rate of pay gap closure in Europe. At the same time, Britain’s quickest pay gap closure is 2067, for women working part-time in the private sector as a salesperson in food & accommodation services. “Although it is troubling to see the gender pay gap persisting in the EU, it is encouraging to see several potential closure dates in the near future. This research indicates that the traditional European powers - U.K. , France & Germany - could be doing more to help close the gender pay gap,” said Michael Horrocks from Expert Market. Expert Market EU Gender Pay Gap Rankings
Rank | Country | Full or Part Time? | Public or Private Sector? | Age Group | Industry | Job Type | Average Pay Gap Closure / 1. | Romania | - | Private (2018) | 25-34 (2018) | Food & Accommodation (2017) | Skilled Manual (2018) | 2018 / 2. | Poland | Full Time (2021) | Public (2018) | 45-54 (2017) | Food & Accommodation (2019) | Service & Sales (2017) | 2018 / 3. | Belgium | Full Time (Closed) | Private (2029) | 25-34 (2019) | Public Admin / Government (2019) | Clerical Support (2017) | 2020 / 4. | Iceland | Part Time (Closed) | Public (2021) | Under 25 (2017) | Electricity / Gas / Energy (2022) | Clerical Support (2025) | 2020 / 5. | Netherlands | Part Time (Closed) | Public (2030) | 25-34 (2018) | Electricity / Gas / Energy (2018) | Basic Manual (2021) | 2020 / 6. | Slovenia | - | Private (2034) | 65+ (2020) | Public Admin / Government (2018) | Managerial or Technical (2017) | 2022 / 7. | Lithuania | Full Time (2029) | Private (2028) | Under 25 (2022) | Electricity / Gas / Energy or Arts / Entertainment (2020) | Service & Sales (2017) | 2023 / 8. | Italy | - | Public (2024) | 55-64 (2030) | Education (2020) | Managerial (2020) | 2024 / 9. | Sweden | Part Time (2022) | Public (2035) | Under 25 (2035) | Public Admin / Government (2017) | Skilled Manual (2017) | 2025 / 10. | Luxembourg | Full Time (2025) | Private (2051) | 35-44 (2017) | Education (2019) | Professional Role (2020) | 2026 / 11. | Rep of Ireland | - | Public (2034) | 35-44 (2039) | Education (2023) | Service & Sales (2017) | 2028 / 12. | Cyprus | Full Time (2035) | Private (2049) | Under 25 & 35-44 (2021) | Human Health / Social Work (2017) | Service & Sales (2028) | 2029 / 13. | Spain | Part Time (2022) | Private (2062) | 25-34 (2025) | Public Admin / Government (2021) | Elementary occupations (2017) | 2029 / 14. | Finland | Part Time (2034) | Private (2064) | Under 25 (2022) | Water / Waste Management (2020) | Professional Role (2017) | 2031 / 15. | Czech Republic | - | Public (2062) | 25-34 (2028) | Public Admin / Government (2022) | Managerial (2017) | 2032 / 16. | Norway | Full Time (2043) | Private (2056) | Under 25 (2021) | Electricity / Gas / Energy (2026) | Service & Sales (2018) | 2033 / 17. | Austria | Part Time (2028) | Private (2059) | 55-64 (2043) | Food & Accommodation (2026) | Service & Sales (2022) | 2036 / 18. | Switzerland | - | - | 35-44 (2081) | Transportation / Storage (2022) | Service & Sales (2017) | 2040 / 19. | Slovakia | Full Time (2096) | Public (2038) | 25-34 (2029) | Real Estate / Scientific (2036) | Professional or Technical Role (2017) | 2042 / 20. | France | Part Time (2044) | Private (2070) | 25-34 (2072) | Food & Accommodation (2025) | Clerical Support (2017) | 2046 / 21. | Germany | Full Time (2075) | Public (2052) | - | Real Estate (2030) | Managerial (2026) | 2046 / 22. | Latvia | Part Time (2130) | Private (2070) | 55-64 (2041) | Construction / Information & Comms (2017) | Clerical Support / Service & Sales (2017) | 2049 / 23. | Denmark | Part Time (2152) | Public (2038) | 25-34 (2038) | Transportation / Storage (2025) | Clerical Support (2017) | 2054 / 24. | United Kingdom | Part Time (2031) | Private (2121) | 35-44 (2124) | Food & Accommodation (2030) | Service & Sales (2031) | 2067 / 25. | Portugal | Part Time (2031) | - | 35-44 (2182) | Real Estate (2018) | Clerical Support (2017) | 2068 / 26. | Hungary | Full Time (2248) | Public (2030) | 55-64 (2027) | Electricity / Gas /Energy (2019) | Professional / Technical role (2017) | 2068 / Data interpreted by Expert Market


