Germany: Minister proposes measures to promote equal pay

The Minister for Labour and Social Affairs, Olaf Scholz, proposed a series of measures to tackle the gender pay gap in March 2009, including additional rights for works councils and a new national "equal pay centre".

According to a study published by the Federal Ministry for the Family, Older People, Women and Young People in March 2009, the pay gap between women and men in Germany, in terms of average hourly earnings, is 23%, with a marked difference between western and eastern Germany.