The Gender Pay Gap within the European Union

The thesis describes the gender pay gap and evaluates it from the view of the European Union and the Member States. It focuses on the measures and instruments that have been developed to tackle the causes of the gender pay gap. The definition of the pay gap is given and the gender and gender roles are described. The gender pay gap as a systematic underpayment of women is measured using adjusted and unadjusted data. The thesis concerns with primary causes of the gender pay gap, such as the horizontal and vertical segregation, differences in human capital, or discrimination. It deals with the gender pay gap at the level of the European Union and at the level of the individual Members States. The role of the European Union is described and assessed as well as its legislative and non-legislative instruments. The focus is on the proactive measures that contribute to solving the primary causes of the gender pay gap. The positive action measures and family-friendly measures are presented