Socialists urge closing gender pay gap in Hungary

The opposition Socialist Party on Monday urged steps to be taken to eliminate the wage gap between men and women in Hungary.

Hungary must take steps to “end the injustice” of women making 11.2 percent less on average than men in the same position, Zita Gurmai, the party’s deputy group leader, said on Facebook.

Gurmai said the Socialists’ 2022 primary election platform contained a variety of measures aimed at eliminating the injustices faced by women and guaranteeing them equal treatment to men.

The party supports preserving the rule that women can retire early after 40 years of work and making them eligible for widow’s pensions before reaching retirement age, she said.

The Socialists’ platform would allow women employed in the public sector, such as doctors and teachers, to continue working after reaching retirement age, she added.

Hungary’s current gender pay gap, Gurmai said, meant that “women essentially work for free from the end of November till the end of December.”