What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text

Changed:E. whereas across the EU, women’s earnings are disproportionately lower than men’s, and women are over-represented among minimum wage earners; whereas in 2023, the EU gender gap in hourly pay was 12 %, with significant variations across the Member States, with the gap exceeding 18 % in some Member States; whereas this means that women are effectively working without being paid for an average of 54 to 67 days per year when compared to men; whereas despite the fact that the employment rate for women continues to increase, the EU is not on track to halve its gender employment gap of 10 % by 2030, and the gap for women with children is higher, at 16.516,5 %; whereas according to Eurostat, the gap also differs by industry and is higher in the private sector than in the public sector in a majority of Member States; whereas in 2024, only 7.77,7 % of men in the EU worked part-time compared to 27.927,9 % of women, whose main reason for working part-time was care responsibilities; whereas there is a specific correlation between women-dominated sectors and low levels of wages; whereas pay can reflect the value and recognition that society places on particular kinds of work;

Changed:M. whereas the impact of the gender pay, care and employment gaps are compounded for women in later life, as evidenced by the gender pension gap, which stood at 25 % in 2025; whereas this stems from accumulated inequalities throughout the course of women’s working lives and from periods of absence from the labour market and lower pay; whereas older women continue to be more exposed to poverty risks than older men in all the Member States; whereas in 2024, 16.916,9 % of retired women were at risk of poverty, nearly double the number of retired men at risk of poverty; whereas women generally have a longer life expectancy and are more likely to require long-term care in old age; whereas it is imperative to ensure that public social security and social protection systems remain robust and adequately and sustainably funded, so that they can continue to provide reliable support;

Changed:Q. whereas care is an important pillar of our society; whereas unpaid and underpaid care work for children, the elderly, the sick, people with disabilities, family members or other dependants is disproportionately carried out by women, even after they enter the labour market, and remains a major driver of gender inequalities in income, career progression and pensions; whereas care responsibilities keep approximately 7.77,7 million women out of the labour market, compared to just 450 000 men; whereas some countries have introduced pension credits for carers, meaning that the time spent caregiving is recognised in pension calculations;

Changed:R. whereas the rate of poverty or social exclusion is higher for women than for men (21.9(21,9 % compared to 20 %); whereas time poverty limits women’s opportunities to engage in long-term, full-time employment, restricting their earning potential and increasing their reliance on low-wage or part-time jobs, reducing their pension contributions and heightening their financial dependence also in old age, and further exposing them to gender-based violence, in particular domestic violence;

Changed:Y. whereas the rate of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) is higher among older people (aged 75 and above), pensioners with disabilities and those who have been out of work for long periods; whereas in 2020, the AROPE rate among retired people in the EU was 15.615,6 %; whereas this group’s gender pay gap, at 13 % in 2020, and its gender pension gap, at 29 % in 2019, is still significant today; whereas many older women have not built up sufficient pension entitlements and often rely on family support or survivors’ pensions; whereas women’s greater longevity increases the likelihood that they will be living alone on a single income; whereas pensions must remain adequate and be adjusted to the cost of living, while incentives for longer participation in the labour market must be improved, to reduce old-age poverty and dependency;

Changed:7. Stresses that closing gender pay and pension gaps is essential for equality and competitiveness, and should be achieved through evidence-based measures, respecting the prerogatives of the Member States and the social partners; recalls that gender gaps in pay and employment cost the EU EUR 390 billion in 2023 through lost earnings, welfare contributions and the public finance costs of social welfare benefits received by non-working women; notes that closing the gender employment gap could increase productivity, resulting in a 3.23,2 % to 5.55,5 % increase in GDP per capita by 2050, while more flexible working conditions, better work-life balance and higher wages encourage more women to enter the labour market, leading to an increase in the productive capacity of the economy; recognises that the cost-of-living crisis disproportionately affects women, including mothers; calls for measures that ensure that wages reflect the cost of living and incentivise workforce participation, while continuing to respect national labour market frameworks and social partner agreements; stresses that equal participation of women and men in quality employment strengthens the EU’s labour supply and its overall economic resilience and aligns with the European competitiveness agenda; encourages the Commission and the Member States to include quantified gains from increased gender equality in economic forecasting and policy impact assessments where relevant;

Changed:25. Points out that in the EU, around 6.86,8 million people work as undeclared paid care workers in the personal and household services sector, of whom 90 % are women, and the majority of whom are middle-aged and migrants and therefore not encompassed by labour rights or social security;