Gender pay gaps are a critical manifestation of gender inequalities in the labour market, reflecting a range of differential outcomes and factors facing men and women today: gender gaps in unpaid work, gender differences in occupations, women’s underrepresentation in leadership, discrimination, and beyond. Gender pay gaps also help to predict gender inequalities tomorrow, including gender gaps in pensions and in old-age poverty. As of 2024, many countries noted the presence of an indicator, target or goal relating to the gender pay gap in their gender equality strategies, frameworks and/or action plans and many countries encourage or mandate pay transparency among employers. Recent legislative advances in the European Union (EU), such as the EU Pay Transparency Directive (2023/970/EU), make systematic monitoring of gender gaps in earnings a legal obligation across Member States. Across OECD countries, employment in general government reaches almost 20%, making the government as an employer well placed to lead by example and set the standard for fairness, equality and transparency. This technical paper provides key recommendations for pay gap reporting for public administrations.
