21/09/2026
⚖️ International Equal Pay Day
“Equal pay for work of equal value” is not simply a principle. It is a fundamental right.
Yet, as the International Labour Organization reminded us on this International Equal Pay Day, women around the world still earn on average 18% less than men.
Behind this figure are millions of women whose work sustains families, businesses, communities and economies, but whose contribution is still not valued equally.
Closing the gender pay gap requires more than legislation. It requires stronger institutions, greater pay transparency, fairer wage structures and, above all, meaningful social dialogue and collective bargaining.
This is exactly the ground SD4EU worked on: strengthening social dialogue as a tool to bring gender equality into the labour market. Our Gender Mainstreaming Guidelines remain freely available to any social partner who want to take this principle into their own bargaining table.
The world of work is changing profoundly. Our commitment to equality must remain just as strong – a determination the ILO itself reaffirmed this year, with a new Resolution concerning the transformative agenda for gender equality in the world of work.
Equal pay is a matter of rights, dignity, fairness and social justice — for every worker, everywhere.
Confprofessioni
