FERPA & FERPA WOMEN'S COMMITTEE

8 MARCH 2026

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

The European Federation of Retired and Older People (FERPA) represents over 10 million members in 21 European Union countries.

On 8 March 2026, International Women's Day, FERPA expresses its concern about the persistent pension gap and the feminisation of growing poverty among the elderly population in the region. The gender pay gap remains at an average of 12% in the EU, while the pension gap is significantly wider, at around 22-29%. This situation is a clear injustice and stems from gender pay discrimination, inequalities in the labour market, the disproportionate burden of unpaid family and domestic work, as well as part-time work and career breaks to raise children.

FERPA, together with its Women's Committee, supports the European Trade Union Confederation's (ETUC) commitment to the full and immediate transposition of the Pay Transparency Directive, which is now more urgent than ever.

FERPA supports and defends the rules, aware of renewed calls from some employer organisations to weaken them and sabotage their implementation. These calls are misguided and undermine the fundamental right to equal pay, creating legal uncertainty and weakening confidence in the EU's ability to ensure equality and a level playing field.

Equal pay for women and men, with the application of the principle of equal pay for work of equal value, is not a new obligation. It is enshrined in the Treaties and reflected in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

On 8 March 2026, FERPA will also mobilise to demand equal rights and fair justice for all women, with a special focus on the negotiations and proposals of the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, to be held in New York from 9 to 19 March 2026. The European Union and its Member States will participate in this session to negotiate, guarantee and strengthen women's access to justice by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating all discriminatory policies and practices, and addressing structural barriers. FERPA demands greater protection and adequate measures to end violence against women, particularly older women, a phenomenon that continues to be largely ignored.