The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) publishes the Gender Equality Index annually, and the 2025 report states that "despite progress across Europe, full gender equality is still at least 50 years away."

According to the EIGE, most member states have registered setbacks in terms of gender equality in health and education, and it reveals that "women across the EU earn only 77% of what men earn annually."

“Shocking”

“This means that they have to work, on average, 15 months and 18 days to take home the same amount that men earn in a year,” the agency asserts, according to which this is a “shocking wage disparity between men and women.”

The Index data gives the European Union an overall score of 63.4 out of 100, but points out that progress is uneven, ranging from the lowest score of 47.6 points for Cyprus to the highest for Sweden, with 73.7 points. Portugal achieves the same overall score as the EU average.

“Although this represents an increase of 10.5 points since 2010, at the current and renewed pace, it means we are still half a century away from achieving full gender equality,” EIGE points out, stressing that this means that “women are working the equivalent of an entire ‘phantom quarter’ for free.”

Quoted in the EIGE press release, the institute's director, Carlien Scheele, emphasizes that this loss of income is unfair and is "an obstacle to equality and competitiveness across Europe."

He points out that these three months are time that women do not spend with their families studying, training, or resting, and that "this worsens pensions and lifetime income."

The Gender Equality Index tracks countries' progress in six areas: work, money, knowledge, time, power, and health, giving ratings on a scale of 0 to 100, in addition to monitoring violence against women and intersectional inequalities.

Work

In terms of work, the Index reveals that female employment is growing, but few women reach management positions or higher-paying jobs, and that motherhood restricts career prospects, unlike for men.

In the area of ​​money, the main finding is that women earn 77% less of men's annual income, representing an increase from 69% in 2015, and that women living in couples earn, on average, 30% less than their partners.

At the Time level, the EIGE states that women continue to bear the brunt of unpaid care and domestic tasks, limiting their involvement in leisure and public life.

On the other hand, in terms of Knowledge, it states that "young women outperform men in higher education, but are steered towards care professions, such as education, health or social work, which are typically undervalued".

The Power measure "has been the main driver of progress in the Index since 2020", but "remains the domain with the lowest score (40.5) due to persistent inequalities".

Health is the area with the highest score (86.2), but the EIGE points out that “progress has stagnated and inequalities persist with regard to health behaviours and the number of years of healthy life, especially for women with low levels of education.”

“The Index also finds that violence against women remains widespread and underreported, with data showing an alarming 31% of women who suffer physical and/or sexual violence in their adult lives—with greater exposure among women under 45,” the report says.

The director of the EIGE acknowledges progress, “but very slowly,” and pointed to the lack of women in top, higher-paying positions or in leadership roles, advocating for “care systems that not only free up women's time but also share the burden equally with their partners.”