What is the Gender Equality Index?

The gender equality index is for companies at least 50 employees. It measures the pay gap between women and men in order to gradually reduce it.

The companies concerned must calculate and publish that index, in a visible and legible manner, on their website to 1^er March.

This index, which measures 100 points of professional equality between women and men, is based on five indicators:

• the gender pay gap (40 points);
• the difference in annual increases (20 points);
• increases on return from maternity leave (15 points);
• the share of women in the top 10 company salaries (10 points);
• the gap in promotions (15 points). This indicator applies only to companies with more than 250 employees.

Companies must also communicate the details of the various indicators to the Social and Economic Committee (ESC) and the Labor Inspectorate (Dreets).

Those who score less than 75 points are required to take corrective action within three years to reduce the gender gap.

What information does the company transmit to the Ministry of Labor?

A decree of 17 August 2022 specified what information the companies concerned must transmit to the Ministry of Labor via the site Egapro.

Companies shall provide the following information:

• the scope used for the calculation and publication of the indicators. The information to be communicated changes according to the scope chosen: company or economic and social unit (grouping into a unit of several distinct companies with close links);
• the 12-month reference period and the number of employees used for the calculation of the indicators;
• the number of employees taken into account for the calculation of the indicators over the reference period;
• how the results obtained for each indicator and the level of result obtained are to be published;
• the results of the gender pay gap indicator (the information requested varies depending on the method used);
• the results of the indicator measuring the difference in the rate of individual increases between women and men;
• the results of the indicator measuring the percentage of female employees who received an increase in the year following their return from maternity leave;
• the results of the indicator measuring the number of employees of the under-represented sex among the top ten earners;
• the outcome of the indicator measuring the gender gap in promotions (only for companies with more than 250 employees);
• the overall result;
• corrective actions (if applicable);
• progress targets (if applicable).