Women in Luxembourg continue to be underrepresented across a range of sectors, according to the findings of the latest activity report from the Gender Equality Observatory, presented on Monday.
The report highlights that women are still much more likely to work part-time, bear greater responsibility for household and family duties, earn less on average, and receive lower pensions than men.
Nonetheless, significant improvements have been observed over recent years, says Democratic Party (DP) Minister Yuriko Backes.
The Minister points to Luxembourg’s improved standing in the European Institute for Gender Equality ranking, noting a 10-point advancement over the past decade. Backes explains that they had made "substantial progress", especially regarding the employment rate gap between men and women, which had narrowed considerably.
She adds that as more women enter the workforce and work fewer part-time jobs, and as more men take parental leave, these positive trends are likely to continue.
While Luxembourg performs relatively well in terms of the gender pay gap, the situation is less favourable when it comes to the pension gap between men and women.
When looking at hourly wages, women actually earn slightly more, thanks in part to Luxembourg's large public sector, according to Backes. However, when annual salaries and bonuses are included, men are still paid more than women for the same work.
The Minister also stresses that as more women move into full-time positions and participate more actively in the labour market, the pension gap should continue to shrink. Nonetheless, she concedes, Luxembourg still lags behind most European countries in this area.
The report also includes a survey on gender stereotypes, with some findings surprising even the Minister.
“One question asked whether it’s acceptable for a man to control his partner’s finances”, Backes remarks. Shockingly, 46% of men said yes. Even more surprisingly, 26% of women also considered this acceptable.
Concerns remain about the rise in domestic violence. The number of police interventions for household violence increased by 10% compared to the previous year. In 2025, around 6,000 victims contacted support services for help.
You can read the full report in French:
