EU gender equality advances, but progress remains uneven across key domains
The Gender Equality Index 2025 shows the European Union continuing its gradual upward trajectory, reaching a score of 63.4 - a 10.5-point improvement since 2010. Gains in women’s participation in economic and social decision-making have been the primary driver of recent progress, even as setbacks in education and stagnant outcomes in health temper the overall picture.
The power domain recorded the strongest improvement, rising 9 points since 2020, reflecting greater female representation on company boards, in senior political roles and across national sports and cultural institutions. By contrast, the knowledge domain slipped in 14 Member States, driven by widening gender segregation in fields of study. Health outcomes remain the EU’s most equal domain, but progress has flatlined.
In the labour market, women are participating more and working longer, yet structural barriers persist. Women still account for only 20% of ICT specialists and 35% of managers, and they remain over-represented in low-paid jobs - 28% compared with 16% of men. These patterns continue to shape women’s financial security, with median annual earnings at 77% of men’s and a 25% pension gap enduring across the EU.
Among Member States, several—including Ireland, Spain and Malta—saw double-digit improvements since 2015. Luxembourg, which scores 63.9, sits marginally above the EU average and has made notable gains in the work and power domains, particularly through rising female employment and increasing representation in leadership roles. Remaining challenges include a comparatively high share of women in low-paid work and elevated in-work poverty rates for women in single-adult households.
As EIGE notes, the coming decade will be decisive. Despite visible momentum, deeply embedded gender norms—especially those shaping care, education choices and the quality of work - continue to slow Europe’s progress. Without sustained efforts to address these structural barriers, gender equality risks remaining a distant horizon.
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