Women's rights groups have called for greater salary transparency on Sunday, also known as 'Unequal Pay Day' because Belgian women are effectively working for free from this moment until the end of the year.
One in two Belgians (56%) does not know their colleagues' or friends' salaries, and even fewer (66%) are aware of their superior's salary, according to a survey commissioned by ZIJkant and conducted by Ipsos.
The study shows that women are more in the dark than their male counterparts, with 74% unaware of their supervisors' salary compared to 58% of men. Women are also less likely to discuss their own earnings, whether with colleagues or superiors, with 61% never broaching the subject with their boss versus 45% of men.
This lack of transparency fuels the wage gap between female and male workers, says ZIJkant. In 2021, women earned 9.2% less per hour than men. Annually, this disparity widened to 23.1%, according to the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men.
'Glass ceiling'
Women are often confined to certain jobs such as cleaning, caregiving and childcare. "These so-called 'feminine' professions are lower paid," notes ZIJkant.
Women also find it harder to secure high-responsibility, better-paid positions, a phenomenon known as the "glass ceiling."
In addition, more women choose part-time work (41% in 2022, compared to 12% of men) or career breaks to care for others – children, elderly parents or sick relatives.
"Men are still viewed as the primary breadwinners and thus have more freedom to focus on their careers," the organisation states. They therefore have access to more advanced training, which paves the way for more promotions.
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ZIJkant wants these disparities to be addressed via better policies such as the Pay Gap Law and EU rules on salary transparency.
"We also advocate for fathers to receive similar parental leave to mothers to promote a fairer division of labour."
Demonstrations in Brussels and Ghent will address these issues on Thursday.
