(In)equality in salaries and pensions between women and men in 2022

On February 17, 2023, “Equal Pay Day” was marked in Moldova (Equal Pay Day). This is a symbolic day, signifying the number of working days that a woman must work in addition to earn a salary income equivalent to the income recorded by a man in the previous year. Annually, based on data from the National Bureau of Statistics on women’s and men’s earnings, the Development Partnership Center (CPD) determines this calendar day. According to the calculations, in the year 2023 a woman has to work until February 17 to reach the value of a man’s salary in the previous year.

The difference between the average salary of women and men remains at a fairly high value. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the gender gap in salaries was 13.6% in 2021, being only 0.1 pp lower than the previous year. Although the percentage value of wage inequality has remained relatively constant, in monetary terms this inequality has become even more acute. Thus, the annual financial loss of women reached the value of 21,092 MDL in 2022.

(IN)EQUALITY IN SALARIES AND PENSIONS BETWEEN WOMEN AND MEN IN 2022. Progress and opportunities to improve measures to ensure equal pay for equal work. Partnership Center for Development, Chișinău, 2023.