International Women’s Day: Minister Foley Encourages Early Gender Pay Gap Reporting as New Research Highlights Early-Career Pay Inequalities

On International Women’s Day, Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley has urged employers to publish their gender pay gap reports, as new research published by the Department shows that a gender pay gap is evident in the early stages of young women’s careers.

The research is based on data from the Growing Up in Ireland study which examines the earnings of 1,911 men and women who were born in 1998.

It shows that the men in the study, now aged 25, earn on average approximately €50 more per week than women aged 25.

The research sets out the key factors driving this “sizeable gender pay gap” among 25-year-old men and women at this early stage of their working lives.

• The sector of employment is the single most important factor behind the gender pay gap at age 25. Women are more likely to work in lower-paying sectors even when even when they have similar qualifications to men.

A significantly higher proportion of men than women work in industry, information and communication, and financial, insurance and real estate sectors. Women are much more likely than men to work in education and in human health and social work activities.

• Differences in working hours explain a meaningful share of the gender pay gap, reflecting how early-career jobs and working patterns differ for men and women.

Men work more hours per week on average (40.3 hours per week versus 38.3 hours per week for women) and are more likely to work full-time (85% of men versus 80% of women).

• Education narrows the gap rather than widening it, as women at this age tend to have higher levels of educational attainment, including within similar broad fields of study.

While the study considers a wide range of additional factors, including family background, physical health, mental health, and early career patterns, they do not explain much of the remaining pay difference at age 25.

Commenting on the research, Minister Foley said:
"Happy International Women’s Day to all women across Ireland. It is a day in which we celebrate the talent, capability and ability of women.

But it is also a day to shine a light where that immeasurable talent isn’t being appropriately recognised".

“Ireland has made real progress in narrowing the gender pay gap, but this research shows that inequalities are already emerging at the start of working life. To keep that progress going, we need to support young women to enter higher‑paying sectors and ensure fair, transparent pay practices. This approach reflects the ambition of the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025–2030, particularly its goal of ensuring women have a fair share of economic and financial power.”

The Growing in Ireland research undertaken by Dr Dáire Crotty and Mr Ciarán Murphy on behalf of the Department of Children noted that women aged 25 are earning less than men despite most of them not yet having children of their own.

The report stated this was of concern because it suggests that the gender pay gap for this group of women is not due to the ‘parenthood penalty’ observed among women over 25. It also has long-term financial implications for women if they are already at an earnings disadvantage at this early stage in their career.

The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 introduced the legislative basis for annual gender pay gap reporting in Ireland. Since 2024, all employers with over 150 employees have been legally obliged to report on their gender pay gap, with this requirement extended in November 2025 to include employers with over 50 staff. However, not all employers are doing this. Legislation will be introduced to made it mandatory to report on their gender pay gal to a centralised reporting database-the Gender Pay Gap Portal.

Minister Foley continued:
“Transparency is essential to closing the gender pay gap. I encourage all employers with more than 50 staff to publish their reports on the Gender Pay Gap Portal ahead of the introduction of mandatory reporting in November this year. Ireland’s gender pay gap has fallen from 14.4% in 2017 to an estimated 8.6% in 2023, and early, proactive reporting will help us drive that figure down further.”

The research study ‘Exploring the gender pay gap in early adulthood: A longitudinal analysis using Growing Up in Ireland data’ is available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/exploring-the-gender-pay-gap-in-early-adulthood-a-longitudinal-analysis-using-growing-up-in-ireland-data/

About Growing Up in Ireland

Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) is the national longitudinal study of children and young people, a joint project of the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) and the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

For further information see: www.growingup.gov.ie

The Gender Pay Gap in the Growing Up in Ireland report examines the earnings of 1,911 men and women who were born in 1998.

The gender pay gap is calculated as the difference between men's and women's mean weekly earnings. A positive gender gap, therefore, indicates higher average earnings for men. The mean weekly earnings of men are €623.04, while the mean weekly earnings of women are €572.69. The gender pay gap is therefore €50.35.

National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025-2030

Gender equality is being promoted in Ireland under a whole-of government policy framework provided by the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025-2030. The Strategy was launched on the 18 November 2025 by Minister Foley.

The Strategy was developed in consultation with civil society stakeholders and was informed by the recommendations of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality and the Report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality. It also reflects the recommendations to Ireland of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, and it is aligned with the EU Roadmap for Women’s Rights.

Implementation of the Strategy will be guided by two Action Plans, the first of which will be adopted by Government in early 2026 and will cover the period 2026-2028.

For further information see: National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025 – 2030

Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021

The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 introduced the legislative basis for annual gender pay gap reporting in Ireland. Employers are obliged to publish their Gender Pay Gap Report on their website within 5 months of their “snapshot” date in June or make it available to the public in some other manner where they do not have a website.

This obligation will remain in place when reporting via the Gender Pay Gap Portal becomes mandatory in 2026.

The Regulations under the Act require organisations with over 50 employees to report on their gender pay gap across a range of metrics and publish a statement setting out, in the employers’ opinion, the reasons for the gender pay gap in their company and what measures are being taken, or proposed to be taken, to eliminate or reduce that pay gap.

Gender Pay Gap Portal

The Gender Pay Gap Portal, launched on 18 November 2025 enables employers with 50 or more employees to upload their gender pay gap reports in one central, publicly accessible location. The Portal is currently open for voluntary submissions ahead of mandatory reporting from 2026.

The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 is being amended to make it a legislative requirement for all employers in scope of the legislation to submit their reports to the Gender Pay Gap portal for the 2026 reporting cycle. It is important to note that relevant employers are already required to publish their Gender Pay Gap Information on their websites in 2025, or to make it available to the public in some other manner where they do not have a website. This requirement will remain when use of the portal becomes mandatory in 2026.

For further information see: gov.ie/genderpaygap