Finland ranks highest in Europe in terms of gender equality, although the gender pay gap still needs to be addressed, a new study has found.
In compiling its study, personal finance firm Finansvalp analysed data on the seats held by women in national parliaments, the percentage of women in senior management positions, and the 2022 median net income by gender in each of the 27 EU member countries.
Gender-quality score
From this, a gender-equality score was applied to each country, with Finland emerging on top with a score of 36.86.
In Finland, women make up 72.4% of seats in the national government, the highest percentage of any country in the EU, the study found, however, women earn 6.04% less on average than men in the workforce.
In second place, with a score of 36.09, is Portugal, the only EU country in which women earn more than men, on average – 0.53% more, to be precise.
France places third, with a score of 33.63, ranking highly due to the large percentage of women in leadership roles in some of its biggest publicly listed companies. Women comprise 46.1% of board members at major corporations in France, the highest percentage of any EU country.
Sweden (33.15), which has the most gender-equal parliament in the EU, and the Netherlands (31.33) round off the top five,, while other countries in the top ten include Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Germany and Lithuania.
At the bottom of the list is Hungary, which achieved a score of 10.00.
Senior roles
“In the last 20 years, the number of women holding seats at national government and national parliament level in the EU has risen by over 50%, while the share of female board members at the largest publicly listed companies has exploded by 312%,” commented Olle Pettersson, finance expert and CEO of Finansvalp.
“If the trend of greater female representation continues in senior positions across the EU, we should hopefully see the gender pay gap reduce, making many countries more inclusive places for women to work.”
EU Countries with the Most Gender-Equal Workplaces
| Ranking | Country | Gender-equal workplace score/50 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finland | 36.86 |
| 2 | Portugal | 36.09 |
| 3 | France | 33.63 |
| 4 | Sweden | 33.15 |
| 5 | Netherlands | 31.33 |
| 6 | Belgium | 31.00 |
| 7 | Denmark | 29.76 |
| 8 | Spain | 29.26 |
| 9 | Germany | 29.06 |
| 10 | Lithuania | 27.47 |
| 11 | Ireland | 26.12 |
| 12 | Latvia | 25.98 |
| 13 | Italy | 24.92 |
| 14 | Slovenia | 24.87 |
| 15 | Croatia | 23.18 |
| 16 | Austria | 22.43 |
| 17 | Romania | 20.53 |
| 18 | Bulgaria | 20.46 |
| 19 | Estonia | 20.10 |
| 20 | Poland | 18.54 |
| 21 | Malta | 18.12 |
| 22 | Greece | 18.08 |
| 23 | Luxembourg | 16.57 |
| 24 | Slovakia | 15.65 |
| 25 | Czechia | 15.29 |
| 26 | Cyprus | 14.62 |
| 27 | Hungary | 10.00 |
