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Posted on 03/09/2026 11:45:28 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Concept image illustrating the gender pay gap with male and female figures standing on stacks of coins.
New data shows women in Spain still earn significantly less than men, highlighting the ongoing gender pay gap. Credit : Andrey_Popov, Shutterstock
Women in Spain are effectively working nearly 69 days a year without pay compared with men, according to a new labour market report released this week. The figure highlights how the gender pay gap – despite years of policy changes and growing awareness – still affects millions of workers across the country.
The analysis, published by the Spanish trade union USO (Unión Sindical Obrera), estimates that women earn around 18.8 per cent less than men on average. When translated into working time, that difference is equivalent to more than two months of unpaid work each year compared with male colleagues.
The findings arrive as Spain, like many countries, marks International Women’s Day, a moment often used to reflect on both progress and the inequalities that remain. And while many things have changed in the Spanish workplace over the past two decades, the data suggests that the road to full pay equality is still a long one.
For many people living and working in Spain – including thousands of expats – the report offers a snapshot of how the country’s labour market still operates behind the scenes.
Gender pay gap in Spain remains close to 19%
The report, titled “Gender Pay Gap by Productive Sectors”, was prepared by consultancy Syndex for USO. It analyses wage data across different industries and income levels in Spain.
According to the findings, the average annual salary in Spain is around €24,962, but the gap between men and women remains significant.
On average:
Men earn around €27,411 per year
Women earn about €22,255 per year
That difference means women earn almost one fifth less than men, even though the gap has gradually narrowed in recent years.
When those salary differences are converted into working time, the picture becomes more striking. Women effectively work around 69 days each year without pay compared with men, simply because their average wages are lower.
The report highlights that this gap is not just about individual salaries but reflects deeper structural patterns within the labour market.
Most women earn well below higher salary brackets One of the most revealing aspects of the study is how income is distributed across different pay levels.
The figures show that a large proportion of women remain concentrated in lower-paid jobs.
According to the data:
43 per cent of women earn less than Spain’s annual minimum wage
66 per cent earn less than 1.5 times the minimum wage
By comparison, men are more likely to reach higher income brackets. Only 1.8 per cent of women earn more than five times the minimum wage, while 3.2 per cent of men fall into that top category.
In other words, the issue is not only that women earn less on average, but that fewer women reach the highest-paying roles in the labour market.
Why the pay gap still exists
Experts say the reasons behind the gap are complex and tied to how the labour market is structured.
One major factor is the sectors where women are more likely to work. Many female workers are employed in service industries such as hospitality, retail, care services or cleaning – jobs that tend to offer lower wages than sectors like technology, engineering or finance.
Another key factor is part-time work. Women are far more likely than men to work reduced hours, often because of family responsibilities or childcare. While part-time roles offer flexibility, they also tend to mean lower income and fewer opportunities for promotion.
Career interruptions can also play a role. Time spent caring for children or relatives can slow career progression and reduce lifetime earnings.
Finally, there is still a noticeable gender imbalance in leadership roles. Senior management and executive positions – which typically come with higher salaries and bonuses – remain dominated by men in many industries.
What this means for expats working in Spain For international professionals living in Spain, the findings provide useful context about the local job market.
Spain has introduced several measures in recent years aimed at tackling wage inequality. Companies above a certain size are now required to create equality plans and monitor salary differences between male and female employees. Some firms also publish gender pay gap data to increase transparency.
But the reality on the ground can still vary significantly depending on the sector and the company.
For female expats working in Spain, the report highlights the importance of salary negotiation, career planning and understanding workplace policies. Many international companies operating in Spain follow stricter global equality standards, which can help reduce disparities.
At the same time, awareness of pay gaps has increased across Spanish society, particularly among younger workers who are demanding greater transparency from employers.
International Women’s Day highlights unfinished work
International Women’s Day, celebrated every year on March 8, began as a movement focused on labour rights and equality in the workplace. Over time, it has become a global moment to reflect on gender equality more broadly.
In Spain, the date often brings debates about employment conditions, wages and career opportunities for women.
The USO report shows that while legal protections and public awareness have improved, economic inequality still persists in subtle ways across many sectors.
The challenge now, many experts say, is moving beyond policies and statistics towards real cultural change in the workplace.
Because behind the numbers lies a simple reality: millions of women in Spain are still effectively working almost two months of the year without pay compared with men.
And until that gap closes, the conversation around equality in the workplace is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
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All companies would hire only women if these bogus claimed were true.
Here’s a shocker..women have menstrual cycles..carry babies..nurse them...
All that extra work and they still don’t get the job done.
Comparisons like this are bogus. First, Spain is not the US. Second, the “same” job really may not be the same. For example, a female USPS worker said she was paid less than a man hired at approximately the same time and both were “letter carriers”. She sued, and won. The following Monday, for the first time, she was asked to unload mail trucks with bags often weighing close to 100lbs. Mail carriers routinely did this, but female carriers did not. Now, both work that line. She quit two days later.
It is a sex pay gap, gender deserves no place in discussion about Males and Females. For all intents and purposes, there are only two sexes.
The neurosurgeon earns more than the receptionist in ethe office. IT’S A SCANDAL.
I was thinking the exact same thing.
If anything I have observed that job for job they often have made more. Especially in the times rampant of DEI.
This all began when men started letting women up on the furniture. Back in the day they were simply kept bare foot and pregnant and walked two paces behind their master when in public. We should revert back to that. /s/
LOL!!!!!!!!!
We shouldn’t pay taxes on wages or owned property. Back before 1917 there were no slave wages on workers. The gov made their money on tariffs. Now where have I heard that word before? Tariff. Sounds like a good idea to me.
LOL!!!!!!!!!
Or requesting time off
In China 69 called “two can chew”.
Looking at the number....no comment.
After I retired a third time I wanted to have a retirement job until my wife could retire so I was one of the managers of a retail store of a national chain.
We hired a lady who had a nasty divorce and desperately needed work. She spent at least 20 years as a homemaker. Paid her $20/hr as a manager and she should have thus made a minimum of $0K/year.
She was always late, would make excuses to leave early, and would call in with tons of problems with her kids and such. We felt bad for her and gave her the leeway but when I helped her download her W2 that April she wondered why she had made only $17K. I showed her the number of hours she had actually been at work, but she refused to understand, and started complaining she had to find a better job.
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