EU healthcare’s gender pay gap hits 19%, WHO report finds

Women in Europe’s health and care sector face a 19 per cent hourly gender pay gap, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report.

Women account for 77 per cent of the sector’s workforce, compared with 45 per cent across all other sectors combined, but make up only 55 per cent of its top earners.

The hourly gender pay gap widens at higher wage levels, from 2 per cent among the lowest earners to more than 22 per cent at the top.

 

The WHO report found that health and care accounts for almost 17 per cent of all women’s employment in its European Region, compared with 5 per cent of men’s employment.

The sector is the fourth-largest employer overall and the single largest employer of women in the region.

Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, director of the Division for Health Systems at WHO Europe, said: “Women make up the majority of the people who keep Europe’s health systems running, yet they’re paid less than their male counterparts, a gap that compounds over a lifelong career.”

The findings follow a pattern seen across the wider labour market, with structural inequality increasing at higher wage and seniority levels.

Globally, women working in health earn an average of 24 per cent less than men, according to the report, a wider gap than in many other industries.

Some of the difference in pay could be explained by work-related factors, including age, education, public or private sector employment and whether people worked full-time or part-time.

After adjusting for those four factors, the hourly pay gap fell from 19 per cent to 6 per cent, while the monthly gap declined from 28 per cent to 10 per cent.

The remaining difference could not be explained by factors measured in the data.

“Most of this gap isn’t down to women working fewer hours, being younger or working in different parts of the sector,” Azzopardi Muscat said.

“It comes down to how the sector values women’s work. Age, education, working hours and public versus private sector employment only helps explain some of it.”

WHO said the findings point to factors including the undervaluation of care work, occupational segregation and potential discrimination in pay-setting practices.

Occupational categories with a higher proportion of women paid less across managerial, professional and technical roles.

Management jobs in health and care employ more women than management roles in other sectors and pay an average of €22 per hour, compared with €24.70 in comparable roles elsewhere.

WHO described the gender pay gap as one of the most persistent forms of labour market inequality. Given the number of women working in health and care, it said the gap could have important economic and social consequences.

The report said the inequality may lead to lower lifetime earnings and pension entitlements, increase women’s risk of poverty, reduce returns to education and undermine sustainable economic growth.

“It means lower pensions, less financial security in older age, and a higher risk of poverty for women who’ve spent their working lives caring for others,” said Azzopardi Muscat.

“This isn’t a coincidence, and it isn’t about qualifications. Women are being paid less for the same work and passed over for the roles that pay more.”

WHO said closing gender pay gaps was both an equity imperative and an investment in a stronger and more sustainable health workforce.

It suggested measures including greater salary transparency, increased female representation in decision-making roles and action to address gender norms and stereotypes.