The European “Equal Pay Day falls on 17 November this year – this marks the date from which women in the EU symbolically begin ‘working for free’ until the end of the year”, European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu and Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said in a joint statement. “Ahead of this important day, we reaffirm our commitment to a Union of Equality – one where women and girls are economically empowered and can fully participate in a labour market that offers equal opportunities and fair treatment for all”. “There is no reason why men and women should be paid differently for doing the same job. The principle of equal pay between women and men for the same work, or work of equal value, is enshrined in EU law since 1957. It is essential to enforce this core principle, as well as to improve access to justice for the victims of pay discrimination”. It is up to Member States to implement the Pay Transparency Directive, the two commissioners recall. The latest data shows that “women’s gross hourly earnings were on average 12% below those of men. Barriers to closing this gap remain, such as those related to care responsibilities. Women continue to bear a disproportionate share of household and childcare duties”. The Work-Life Balance Directive “promotes a more equal sharing of caring responsibilities between women and men and we also call on Member States to invest in high-quality” care services.