Adequate minimum wages - Presentation of Draft opinion - 10.05.2021
On Monday, 10 May 2021, the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) held an exchange of views on the draft opinion to the Report on the Proposal for a directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union.
The draft opinion underlines that minimum wages can be one element of policies aiming at overcoming poverty and reducing inequalities, including those between men and women. Studies show that, while women constitute 48% of employees at the EU, they make up 59% of minimum wage earners. Women are too one of the main sub-minimum wage earners, together with young workers, workers with lower education, or rural workers with dependent children. This is especially relevant in some sectors that have proved to be essential during the COVID19 pandemic. 81% of the EU's Long Term Care workforce is female.