EU lawmakers back new rules on gender pay

STORY: The EU made a move to close gender pay gaps on Thursday (March 30).

European Parliament lawmakers overwhelmingly supported a law to force EU companies to disclose salary scales.

The new rules would require gender-neutral criteria.

Gender discrimination will also be outlawed during the recruitment process and pay secrecy will be banned.

Danish lawmaker Kira Marie Peter-Hansen said the move was long overdue:

"Women in the EU continue to still earn 13 percent less than their male colleagues, and with today's vote we have established an EU-wide minimum standard and pay transparency to enable workers to assert their right to equal pay."

Fellow parliamentarian Samira Rafaela said the new rules would help fight inequality.

"It's 2023. It's time to stop minding the gap. We closed the gap and this gap is about the unequal treatment of women in our society. This gap takes prosperous futures away from women. The gap is deep and nasty and this gap needs to disappear."

EU member states will be required to punish companies that break the rules, and workers will also be eligible for compensation.

The new law still needs to be formally approved by EU member states.