Por Redaccion 
The gender pay gap in Andalusia has decreased by over seven points in the period 2018-2022, according to the latest Salary Structure Survey published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) for the year 2022. For the first time in the entire historical series, the wage gap between men and women is below 4,500 euros. Coinciding with the Equal Pay Day, celebrated on February 22, the Minister of Social Inclusion, Youth, Families, and Equality, Loles López, has positively assessed this decline but has warned of the need to continue working to eliminate all inequalities in the economic, business, and labor fields.
The commemoration of the Equal Pay Day aims to raise awareness among the population about the lack of equity in the pay received by women and men. The wage gap is the indicator that measures this inequality. According to the latest data from the Salary Structure Survey, in 2022, the most recent available year, this difference stood at 4,460.02 euros and 17.02%. These figures represent a historical low since the survey was first published in 2004. From 2012 to 2018, the gender pay gap remained around 24%; however, it has been gradually decreasing since then. In the period 2018-2022, it has fallen by 1,580.56 euros and 7.4 points, as in 2018, the wage gap amounted to 6,040.58 euros and 24.44 percentage points.
López has emphasized that «there is still work to be done», but she pointed out that the measures implemented in recent years «are bearing fruit.» She also noted that apart from the reduction in the gender pay gap, «Andalusia is the second autonomous community in Spain where female unemployment has decreased the most since 2018, reaching 36% of women in top management positions, 12 points higher than six years ago, and there is a record number of female entrepreneurs.»
Graph showing the decrease in the gender pay gap in Andalusia.
The Minister has advocated for «continuing to promote equal measures in all sectors so that equality is real and effective in Andalusia» and has highlighted that «gender equality and opportunities involve all of society.» She has also made available to Andalusian companies all the services of the Andalusian Women’s Institute. Specifically, the EQUALITY service offers assistance in all phases of developing equality plans, business training and empowerment from a gender perspective, support in creating protocols against sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination, digital tools, regulations, and calls for proposals. This program is aimed at public and private companies, organizations and labor associations, public bodies, consultants, and the general public. It is operational on the Andalusian Women’s Institute website and the women’s helpline at 900 200 999.
Breaking Stereotypes
This service assisted a total of 236 Andalusian companies during 2024, who made nearly 600 inquiries (576) to create more equal and harassment-free work environments. This represents a 31% increase in companies compared to the previous year and a 20% increase in inquiries. Additionally, the Andalusian Network of Conciliatory Entities (RAEC) ended the past year with 571 organizational memberships, a 16% increase from 2023.
The Equality Minister also recalled that last year saw the first call for the Andalusian Excellence in Equality Brand, aimed at companies to showcase best practices in the business field. This February, an agreement was signed with the Ministry of University, Research, and Innovation, through Andalusia Emprende, to promote entrepreneurship among women and eliminate gender biases in the sector. Also, within the educational sphere, the Andalusian Women’s Institute promotes the study of scientific and technological careers among female students, where women’s presence remains minority through projects like ‘Expanding Professional Horizons’ focused on Vocational Training.