A recent study, to coincide with equality week, shows that women continue to be paid less than men, with base salaries on average 13% lower, a wage gap that increases among the most qualified.
In the document, the CGTP (Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores Portugueses or General Confederation of Portuguese Workers) analyzes official statistics, which indicate that the average wage for the economy as a whole fell by 4.5% in 2022 compared to 2021, with the fall of Public Administration workers being greater (-5.7%) than that of the private sector (-3.6%).
"Women workers are even more poorly paid than men workers", said the confederation.
According to the analysis, women have “base salaries 13% lower, a difference that in 2021 reached 153 euros, on average, but which among senior managers was around 600 euros”.
The study says “It is precisely among the most qualified workers that the difference is greatest in percentage terms: 24.5% among senior managers, 14% among middle managers and 16.5% among highly qualified professionals”.
"The wage difference between workers and unskilled workers is 6.8% “due to the existence of the national minimum wage, where women workers are 52%”.
"About 30% of women in the private sector earn the national minimum wage, compared to 23% for men", said the CGTP, citing data from the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security for July 2021.
With regard to work from home and telework, in the 4th quarter of last year, over 454.000 women (18.7% of female employment) worked from home, 28% of which always do , 29% regularly do, 28% did only outside working hours and 14% occasionally.
The study also states that close to 1.8 million employees work in shifts, at night, on Saturdays or Sundays or in a combination of these types of schedules, of which 872,600 are women (49% of the total) .
The CGTP holds the 10th edition of the equality week between March 6th and 10th, with the motto "increasing wages for life to change and equality to advance". There will be various initiatives throughout the country, including concentrations, strikes, parades and demonstrations, especially on the 8th, International Women's Day.
