The gender pay gap is shown as a percentage of men’s earnings and represents the difference between the average gross hourly earnings of female and male employ­ees. Gross earnings are wages or salaries paid directly to an employee before income tax and social security contributions are deducted.

In the EU, the gender pay gap is referred to officially as the ‘unadjusted gender pay gap’, as it does not take into account all of the factors that impact on the gender pay gap, such as differences in education, labour market experience, hours worked, type of job, etc.