The pension gap between salaried men and women remains high according to government statistics. The federal pension service has collected new figures on pensions that show male salaried employees receive, on average, 613 euro per month more, before taxes, than women.
In the category that includes the self-employed and civil servants, the gap grows to 908 euro, before taxes, per month.
The explanation for that huge disparity is the general pay difference between men and women. For the same job, a man is still paid 7.6 percent more than a woman. That difference was higher in the past and that situation figured in the pension service's calculation.
Another explanation is the so-called “glass ceiling”, which still prevents women from climbing the career ladder to better paid management positions. Furthermore, almost 50% of women opt for part-time work, while only 10% of men choose that employment path.
Finally, women are also more likely to temporarily interrupt their careers for various reasons, such as raising children and other types of leave. All these factors influence the amount of pension women receive.
The Brussels Times
