Equal Pay Cannot Wait: Why Every EU Member State Must Implement the Pay Transparency Directive Now

The EU Pay Transparency Directive, adopted in 2023, was designed to help tackle this injustice by giving workers greater access to pay information, exposing unjustified salary gaps, and holding employers accountable for discriminatory practices. Yet despite the transposition deadline of 7 June 2026 having passed, many Member States have still failed to implement these vital protections into national law.

The Chairs of the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee and the Gender Equality and Women’s Rights Committee have issued a strong call for immediate action. They warn that delays in implementation are prolonging inequality and allowing unfair pay practices to continue unchecked.

Their concern is well founded. According to European Commission data, women in the EU earned, on average, 11.1% less per hour than men in 2024. For mothers and primary carers, the impact is often even greater. Women are far more likely to take career breaks, reduce their working hours, or accept flexible roles to care for children, older relatives, or family members with disabilities. This unpaid care work – which is essential to society and the economy – often results in lower lifetime earnings, reduced pension contributions, and a greater risk of poverty later in life.

Pay transparency is particularly important for mothers and carers because discrimination often remains hidden. Many employees simply do not know whether they are being paid fairly compared with colleagues performing the same work. The Directive seeks to change this by making salary structures more transparent and enabling workers to challenge unjustified pay differences.

As Lina Gálvez, Chair of the Gender Equality and Women’s Rights Committee, has noted, women’s work has historically been undervalued and underpaid. The Directive aims to address this imbalance by empowering workers, increasing awareness of gender inequalities, and ensuring employers can no longer hide behind opaque pay systems.

For mothers who balance paid employment with significant unpaid caring responsibilities, fair pay affects far more than a monthly salary. It influences household income, children’s opportunities, financial independence, and long-term economic security. Equal pay for equal work is a fundamental right.

Despite the 7 June 2026 implementation deadline, only Slovakia, Malta, Italy and Lithuania have fully transposed the Pay Transparency Directive, while Poland and Belgium have introduced only limited measures. Several Member States, including Greece, Bulgaria and Austria, have only recently published draft legislation, while others have already confirmed delays or are seeking amendments to the Directive. As a result, workers across Europe continue to face unequal access to the protections the Directive was designed to provide.

The European Commission reaffirmed the importance of the Directive on 8 June 2026 and urged Member States to complete transposition without delay. While employers are being advised to prepare for new compliance obligations, the most important consideration must be the workers who continue to experience pay discrimination. For mothers and primary carers – who already face significant economic penalties as a result of unpaid care responsibilities – every delay means another day that women may be underpaid without knowing it, another year of lost earnings, and another setback in the fight for gender equality.

The Pay Transparency Directive offers a practical and powerful tool to close the gender pay gap. EU governments must now fulfil their obligations and implement the Directive without further delay. Mothers, unpaid carers, and all workers deserve transparent workplaces, equal treatment, and fair pay that reflects the value they bring to society.

Equal pay cannot wait-and neither should the women whose economic security depends on it.