The gender pay gap varies significantly across EU Member States, the bloc’s statistical office said on Thursday.

According to new Eurostat data, in 2013, women's gross hourly earnings were on average 16.4% below those of men in the 28 European Union member states and 16.6% in the 17 countries of the eurozone.

In Bulgaria, women's gross hourly earnings in 2013 were 13.5% lower than those of men, a slight increase compared to 12.3% in 2008.  

Across EU member states, the gender pay gap ranged from 3.2 % in Slovenia to 29.9 % in Estonia

There are various reasons for the existence and size of a gender pay gap and they may differ strongly between member states, depending on kind of jobs held by women, consequences of breaks in career or part-time work due to childbearing and decisions in favour of family life, Eurostat explained.

Moreover, the proportion of women working and their characteristics differ significantly between countries, particularly because of institutions and attitudes governing the balance between private and work life which impact on the careers and thus the pay of women.

In 2013, most EU countries for which figures are available recorded a higher gender pay gap in the private sector than in the public sector, possibly due to the fact that within the public sector of those countries employees are protected by collective pay contracts and similar agreements.

The opposite was observed in several EU countries including Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Finland. The gender pay gap in Bulgaria’s private sector was 12.4% in 2013, while in the public sector it was 17.5%.

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