site.btaGender Pay Gap in Bulgaria at 12% - 2016 Report

Sofia, December 20 (BTA) - Cabinet adopted here on Wednesday a report on gender equality in Bulgaria for 2016, according to which women's monthly net salary was 12 per cent less than men's. This compares to an EU average gender-based pay gap of 16 per cent, the Government's press service said.

The document reflects the results from the implementation of policies aimed towards increasing women's participation in the labour market, reducing the pay gap between men and women, encouraging equality in the decision-making process, the fight against gender-based violence and changing the public's gender-based sterotypes.

The average monthly number of unemployed women in 2016 has decreased to 156,462, which is 25,769 less than in 2015. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed men has decreased by 20,340 to 128,255. According to statistics, the average number of long-term unemployed women, who could not find work for more than 12 months, stood at 65,379 last year, which is close to 16,000 less than in 2015. The share of the so called working poor has decreased among both genders.

The report focuses on the adopted Gender Equality Act, which regulates the institutional framework, strategic and operational documents for the more effective management of gender equality policies.