Gender pay gap at 22.6% in Catalonia, says union

The gender pay gap in Catalonia is now at 22.6%, according to one of the country's main trade union, CCOO.

That means that men earn more than a fifth more than women – the union has said that according to Spain's tax office figures, male workers get a 25,107 annual wage, whereas female employees earn 19,537 every year. 

CCOO urged on Friday for authorities to make "firm response," with measures such executing a law providing that companies have to make a register with the average salaries divided in genders and job category. 

The organization said that the figure has dropped three tenths since 2017, but also added that if the pace of levelling gender pays stays as it is now, salaries will not be equal until 2100, as it was pointed out as one of the main protests in the last Women's Day. 

"At this pace, it could take us 100 years to achieve full equality between men and women, especially salary-wise,” said on March 8 Montserrat Mir, a spokesperson for the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

The older, the bigger the pay gap

According to CCOO, the older the person, the bigger is the gender pay gap – for instance, over 65 women earn 58.3% less than men. 

Among the youth, the difference is lower, but for the union, this is only because young men earn less than their parents, not due to a rise in the young women's salaries.