Gender pay gaps remain in CEE, despite EU efforts

Romania and Poland have gender pay disparities among the lowest in the EU, according to Eurostat data published this month. In Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Romania and Poland recorded the smallest gender pay gaps in 2023, at 3.6% and 4.5% respectively — both well below the EU average of 12%.

Bulgaria (9.5%), Croatia (9.2%) and Slovenia (7.2%) also posted relatively narrow gaps. Slovenia, in particular, has long outperformed regional peers, supported by high female labour force participation and a legacy of stronger workplace equality measures.

While these figures appear favourable, however, experts cautioned that smaller gaps can sometimes reflect labour market structures where women are overrepresented in uniformly low-paid sectors, rather than true parity in career advancement or leadership roles.

Czechia, Slovakia among biggest gaps, despite academic attainment levels

As Bulgaria and Croatia also reported gaps below the EU average of 12%, women in Latvia recorded the highest gender pay gap in the EU at 19%, followed by Austria at 18.3%, with Czechia placing third at 18%, one of the widest gender pay gaps in CEE, reflecting a broader regional trend. Slovakia ranked close behind with a gap of 16.5%, well above the EU average of 12%.

While all CEE countries have adopted EU gender equality frameworks since accession, as structural inequalities continue to shape labour markets, and progress on pay equity remains uneven. Deep-rooted social norms, occupational segregation, and limited access to childcare continue to suppress women’s earnings, particularly in Czechia, Slovakia and Estonia.​

Both Czechia and Slovakia consistently underperform despite strong educational attainment among women and EU-mandated equality policies. Experts cite traditional gender roles, long parental leave, and weak representation in leadership roles as key contributors.​

Gaps narrower in Poland, Romania, but concerns persist

Despite having advanced digital economies, Estonia and Latvia ranked among the worst EU performers, at 21% and 15.5% respectively. Lithuania fares better at 11.1%, just under the EU average.​

Analysts say vertical segregation – men occupying top-paying positions while women dominate mid-level and administrative roles – remains a key issue. Estonia’s tech and finance sectors are male-dominated at senior levels, for example.​

Long parental leave policies in Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary, while generous, often push women out of the workforce for years. Formal childcare enrollment for children under 3 remains low in all three countries—5.5% in Czechia, 1.6% in Slovakia, and 15% in Hungary, compared to an EU average of 35.3%.​

However, Eurostat notes that the gender pay gap is generally much lower for new labour market entrants and tends to widen with age. However, those differences over age groups can have different patterns across the EU countries. The gender pay gap might increase with age as a result of the career interruptions women may experience during their working life, the EU’s official statistics agency added.

Pay gaps by sector: public vs private divergence

Across the CEE region, public sectors such as education and healthcare tend to show narrower pay gaps, while private industries including finance, ICT, and manufacturing display significant disparities.​

In Hungary, where the overall pay gap is 15.2%, women earn more than 30% less than men in the financial sector. In Latvia and Slovenia, the gaps are highest in manufacturing and technical fields.​

The EU’s Pay Transparency Directive, adopted in 2023 and due for implementation by 2026, aims to introduce mandatory salary reporting and empower workers to request pay information.​ Czechia and Slovakia have initiated draft laws, while Poland and Lithuania are piloting digital reporting systems.Hungary has yet to launch a formal process, citing regulatory burdens.​

Convergence stalled despite educational progress

Women now outnumber men in tertiary education in every CEE country, yet the region still lags behind on gender equality indices. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary remain below the EU average across key metrics.​

The European Commission noted in 2021 that the EU’s gender pay gap had only changed minimally over the previous decade, adding that women earn 13% on average less per hour than men. Increasing the participation of women in the workforce would go a considerable way toward solving CEE’s labour shortage,” McKinsey noted. Closing the gender gap in CEE could unlock as much as EUR 146bn in annual GDP by 2030, an 8% increase over a business-as-usual scenario, it added. ​