Germany’s Cabinet has approved an ‘equal wages’ law that will force companies to be more transparent about their employees salaries.
The law will mean that any company with over 200 employees will be forced to release information and figures on salaries. The move is hoped to give employees the right to know what both men and women in equal roles are earning.
Also under the new legislation companies with 500 or more employees will face regular pay reporting to ensure that they are complying with laws. It is also thought this will also help to highlight the gender pay gap.
Statistics show that in Germany, women’s gross earnings average at 21 per cent less than men’s. Women working in the same roles and with equal qualifications as their male counterparts earn around seven per cent less.
The pay gap is attributed partly to German women often working in low paid industries or in part time roles.
Manuela Schwesig, Women’s Affairs Minister, said, “We have to break the taboo that you don’t talk about money, because we want to make sure that men and women aren’t played off against each other when it comes to wages.”