We know that core and periphery are struggling under the same monetary policy sun [5] as divergences grow wider [6]. We also know that even in the core, the Franco-German divide continues to gape [7]. However, for a 'union' that continues to promote itself as the utopian solution for 27 nations across Europe, it seems there is an even bigger chasm - the gender pay gap. On International Women's Day, Bloomberg's Niraj Shah notes that women earn on average 16% per hour less than men with Estonia (27% gap) and Austria (24%) at the worst end of the spectrum and Italy (6%) and Slovenia (2%) at the most equitable end. And finally, even with a woman running the show, Germany's gender-pay-gap is a surprising 22%.
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Source: Bloomberg