EU lawmakers on March 30 backed a law to force EU companies to disclose salary scales to reduce gender pay gaps.
Under the rules adopted by 427 votes in favor to 79 against, salary scales will be required to abide by gender-neutral criteria, gender discrimination will be outlawed during the recruitment process, and pay secrecy will be banned.
One of the legislation rapporteurs, Danish lawmaker Kira Marie Peter-Hansen said women in the European Union earn, on average, 13% less than their male colleagues.
Her colleague Samira Rafaela said the new rules would help tackle inequality.
"This gap takes prosperous futures away from women. The gap is deep and nasty, and this gap needs to disappear," she said.
Under the new law, which still needs to be formally approved by EU member states, countries must inflict "dissuasive penalties" against companies that infringe the rules. At the same time, affected workers will be eligible for compensation.
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