Members of the EP Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) and Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) participate in a hearing on the Commission proposal for a Pay Transparency Directive in the European Parliament in Brussels. Extracts and statement by Susana SOLÍS PÉREZ (Renew, ES)

Brussels

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

meeting

hearing

gender balance (T)

Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality

SOLÍS PÉREZ, Susana (EPP, ES)

The Commission proposal for a Pay Transparency Directive: extracts from the hearing and statement by Susana SOLÍS PÉREZ (Renew, ES)

Title: The Commission proposal for a Pay Transparency Directive: extracts from the hearing and statement by Susana SOL&#205;S P&#201;REZ (Renew, ES)

SOUNDBITE (English), V&#283;ra JOUROV&#193;, Vice-President of the EC in charge of Values and Transparency, With the initiative, we aim to empower workers to enforce their right to equal pay. Workers will have the right to get the necessary information on pay so that they can evaluate whether or not they may be being discriminated against compared to their colleagues or of other sectors doing the same work or work of equal value.

SOUNDBITE (English), Věra JOUROV&Aacute;, Vice-President of the EC in charge of Values and Transparency, It does not tie the hands of businesses. It leaves the same flexibility. It just forbids discrimination based on sex.

SOUNDBITE (English), Helena DALLI, European Commissioner for Equality, An open and transparent workplace culture improves workplace atmosphere and drives inclusion and accountability. Pay transparency, improves job satisfaction and motivation, which in turn will increase productivity and ultimately a more transparent business model helps employers attract and retain the best talent. This is particularly important when Europe recovers from the covid-19 pandemic.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christiane MISSLBECK-WINBERG, Director, European and International Affairs, Head of Brussels Office, Danish Confederation of Employers, Pay transparency can shed light on existing differences, but it will not tackle the causes that lie beneath. We all know the gender pay gap is due to a long range of factors, including one segregation on labour markets and in education to different career choices and employment patterns of men and women. Three Gender stereotypes and for unequal distribution of household and care duties. We will only see real change if we address these root causes and this proposal will not do that. What it will do, however, is to put a high financial burden not only on the employers but also on the member states

SOUNDBITE (English), Christiane MISSLBECK-WINBERG, Director, European and International Affairs, Head of Brussels Office, Danish Confederation of Employers, We truly believe that the high influence and not least responsibility of social partners when it comes to equal pay is exactly what led to very equal societies in the Nordic countries. If we really want to advance gender equality and equal pay. It requires tackling gender segregation and breaking down gender stereotypes.

SOUNDBITE (English), Joanna MAYCOCK, Secretary General, European Women's Lobby, We really welcome the definition of pay, which builds on the 2006 recast directive and covers an extensive list of direct and indirect additional benefits. Many of these additional benefits are hidden and often associated with sectors or jobs where men work, such as finance, I.T. or certain kinds of management roles. So it's really crucial that the proposed directive reiterates the pay is composed of a number of factors, a combination of fixed basic salary, complementary and variable elements and all of these part of pay composition.

SOUNDBITE (English), Susana SOL&#205;S P&#201;REZ (Renew, ES), Rapporteur Promoting gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers , Only two out of five women work in STEM or in STEM careers, but when we go to specific sectors like artificial intelligence or cybersecurity, which are the sectors of the future, the numbers drop dramatically to 12 percent or 20 percent. So we need to turn these numbers around. If women want to be present in the technology in the future, we should do something quickly.

SOUNDBITE (English), Susana SOL&Iacute;S P&Eacute;REZ (Renew, ES), Rapporteur Promoting gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers , This technology is not only about digital, it's the future. When we talk about sustainability, when we talk about agriculture, when we talk about climate change, in everything, in the end, you will use artificial intelligence. So we need to make sure that girls understand the impact of those technologies in our lives, and will choose that kind of studies.

SOUNDBITE (English), Susana SOL&Iacute;S P&Eacute;REZ (Renew, ES), Rapporteur Promoting gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers , We need this pay transparency, especially, for example, university careers. It was very surprising for me to see that they are especially opaque, ICT (Information and Communications Technology) and ICT jobs. And I think this is a step forward to reduce the pay gap.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Susana SOL&Iacute;S P&Eacute;REZ (Renew, ES), Rapporteur Promoting gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers , It is essential to advance on the wage gap. We need more transparency, to equip women with the means so that they can raise their hands if they really see discrepancies or irregularities with men.