At the top of the ranking are Finland, Portugal, and France. Meanwhile, Hungary was named the worst country in the EU for gender equality in the workplace, with female representation in parliament and government the lowest of any country in the survey.
Personal finance experts Finansvalp analyzed Eurostat data on seats held by women in national parliaments, women in senior management positions, and the 2022 median net income by gender in the 27 EU member countries. Each country was given a gender-equality score of 50 and ranked from worst to best.
Finland emerged as the leader in gender equality within workplaces, surpassing all other nations in the study. Its dominance stems from a notable presence of women in senior positions nationwide. Notably, women occupy 72.4% of seats in the national government, marking the highest proportion in the EU. Additionally, Finland ranks second for women's representation in the national parliament, with 46% of seats held by women. However, despite these advancements, Finland still grapples with a persistent gender pay gap. In 2022, men earned a median net income of €27,353, while women earned 6.04% less on average, with €25,719.
Portugal closely trailed Finland, securing the second spot for gender equality in workplaces. In an intriguing turn, Portugal reported a higher median net income for women than men in 2022, making it the sole EU nation where female workers earn more on average. Yet, despite this positive aspect, Portugal lags in female executive representation, with only 16.9% of executives in the largest publicly listed companies being women.
France clinched the third position for gender equality in workplaces across EU countries. The country boasts a significant percentage of women in leadership roles within its major publicly listed companies, with women comprising 46.1% of board members, the highest in the EU. Moreover, one in every four executives in these companies is a woman, ranking second only to Lithuania.
Sweden secured the fourth spot in the study, primarily due to its exceptionally gender-equal parliament, where females hold 46.6% of seats, the highest among all EU nations. Additionally, Sweden boasts the fourth-highest percentage of female executives in large public organizations, with women representing 28.6% of all executives.
The Netherlands rounded out the top five EU countries for women in employment, showcasing high levels of female representation in both the national government (53.6%) and parliament (29%). However, the gender pay gap persists, with men earning 5.28% more than women on average.
Belgium occupies the sixth position, with over half of the seats in the national government (55%) held by women. Female representation remains robust at the parliamentary level as well, with women occupying 42.9% of all seats. Moreover, Belgium reports the 11th lowest gender pay gap in the EU.
Denmark secured the seventh spot with the eighth lowest gender pay gap in the EU (3.03%) and a significant proportion of women in senior roles nationwide. Female representation in Denmark's national parliament stands at 44.1%, trailing only Sweden and Finland in the EU.
Spain, Germany, and Lithuania completed the top 10 EU countries with the most gender-equal workplaces. Spain and Germany excel in female representation at government and parliamentary levels, while Lithuania stands out for its highest share of female executives among EU nations.
