[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page:what-we-do\u002Fprojects\u002Fequal":3},{"id":4,"slug":5,"title":6,"short_title":7,"intro_text":8,"meta_description":9,"seo_title":10,"path":11,"content_type":12,"locale":13,"go_live_at":7,"first_published_at":14,"page_created_at":15,"published_at":14,"edit_url":16,"breadcrumbs":17,"seo":25,"body_blocks":33,"call_to_action":39,"categories":46,"owner":7,"authors":63,"related_pages":64,"related_sites":65,"in_subsite":66,"contact_page_url":67,"banner_message":68,"duration":69,"target_group":70,"funders":71,"funder":75},20736,"equal","Equal",null,"\u003Cp>Initiative to close gender pay gap through collective empowerment and individual training.\u003C\u002Fp>","Initiative to close gender pay gap through collective empowerment and individual training.","","\u002Fwhat-we-do\u002Fprojects\u002Fequal","pages.projectpage","en","1969-12-30T23:00:00+00:00","2026-06-29T16:49:14.117845+00:00","\u002Fcms\u002Fpages\u002F20736\u002Fedit\u002F",[18,21,24],{"title":19,"slug":20},"What We Do","what-we-do",{"title":22,"slug":23},"Projects","projects",{"title":6,"slug":5},{"title":6,"description":9,"image":26,"canonical":27,"robots":28,"og_type":29,"twitter_card":30,"locale":13,"created_at":31,"last_modified_at":32},"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fmedia\u002Fimages\u002FSocial_media_preview_image_-_2025.2e16d0ba.fill-1200x630.png","https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fwhat-we-do\u002Fprojects\u002Fequal\u002F","index, follow","website","summary_large_image","1969-12-31T00:00:00+01:00","2026-06-29T18:49:14.183709+02:00",[34],{"type":35,"data":36},"raw_html_block",{"content":37,"variant":38},"\u003Cp>\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cstrong>Title:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Close the gender pay gap\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cstrong>Acronym: Equal\u003Cbr\u002F>Duration:\u003C\u002Fstrong> September 2005 - End of 2007\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cstrong>Funded by:\u003C\u002Fstrong> ESF Equal program of the European Commission\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cstrong>Status:\u003C\u002Fstrong> participation ended per 31-12-06\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cstrong>Partners in the Netherlands:\u003C\u002Fstrong> FNV, FNV Bondgenoten, Abvakabo FNV; in Hungary MSZOSZ, GKI Economic Research; in Belgium ACV and HIVA\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cstrong>Project managers:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Dirk Dragstra, Paulien Osse, Szolt Packovski, Tim Guily\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All men are equal, but men are more equal than women. Ridiculous, yet true - especially when it comes to paid work. Women equally well qualified, nevertheless usually are paid less. How much exactly? In which industries in particular? Can trade unions remedy this inequality?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To find out the Dutch WageIndicator Foundation and trade union movement have initiated 'Close the gender pay gap'. The project is funded by the European Equal-programme. It started in September 2005 and will last till the end of 2007. In the fall of 2005, using the WageIndicator dataset, the zero setting will be measured in a selection of professions and industries.\u003Cbr\u002F>Simultaneously similar projects are under way in Belgium and Hungary.\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cstrong>Transnational project\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cbr\u002F>At the core of EQUAL lay gender and discrimination in the labour market. In the Netherlands the WageIndicator Foundation took the initiative for 'Close the Gender Pay Gap'.\u003Cbr\u002F>It acted as the applicant for the grant. This initiative was embraced by the main trade union confederation FNV, AbvaKabo FNV (public sector) and FNV Bondgenoten (manufacturing, transport, commercial services).\u003Cbr\u002F>As projects must be set up transnationally, in Belgium ACV trade union confederation with the HIVA research institute participates.\u003Cbr\u002F>Hungary joined the initiative through GKI Economic Research and trade union confederation MSZOSZ. The Hungarian partner acts as secretary of the transnational group.\u003Cbr\u002F>The project must be completed by the end of 2007.\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cstrong>Main goals\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cbr\u002F>The main goals of the project are:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>collective empowerment through trade union negotiators\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>individual empowerment, awareness raising amongst individual female employees in terms of the long term consequences a career break may have for their lifetime income, improve their capacities to (re)negotiate their wages.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Fol>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Project approach\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cbr\u002F>The gender pay gap is a hard nut to crack. It remains wide (in the Netherlands 19% in 2002, one of the highest in the EU). It was and is a hot issue for the trade union movement.\u003Cbr\u002F>Experience suggested that a pincer move is the most promising: increase the assertiveness of individual women, improve their lot through collective agreements. In the project a selection of broadly defined 'target' professions\u002Foccupations are the direct beneficiaries.\u003Cbr\u002F>Final decision-making concerning sectors, professions and occupations is up to the participating unions.\u003Cbr\u002F>The involvement of FNV Bondgenoten (male dominated profit sector) and AbvaKabo FNV (female dominated public sector) allows for learning from each other's experiences and adopting\u002Fadapting tools already tested elsewhere.\u003Cbr\u002F>The transnational exchange will enhance this effect.\u003Cbr\u002F>In the last phase of the project experiences drawn from the sectors, occupations and professions chosen will be disseminated throughout the union movement, leading to gender mainstreaming.\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cstrong>2005: choices & tools\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>a life career effect check is developed\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>an online negotiation simulator is developed\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>a zero-setting measurement is carried out through the wage indicator questionnaire\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>a zero-setting measurement of the FNV database on collective agreements\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>dedicated discussions with trade union negotiators are organized\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Analysis of this input leads to the selection of sectors, companies and professions.\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003Cstrong>2006: change\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>individual training courses are given\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>expert meetings are held with union negotiators\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>pr-campaign is developed - tracking, tracing and monitoring of best practices\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>setting up a helpdesk\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>processing of online newsletters\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>first follow up measurements of project results\u003Cbr\u002F>\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>\u003Cbr\u002F>2007: change and dissemination\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>pr-campaign\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>continued expert meetings with project results as fresh input\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>international meeting and exchange\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>second follow up measurements of project results\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>training sessions for union negotiators\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cdiv>\u003Cspan class=\"Apple-style-span\">\u003Ca class=\"internal-link\" data-linktype=\"internal\" data-old_url=\"resolveuid\u002Fa567c391fef94b54b480b614b3cb5a1b\u002Fpublications\" data-val=\"a567c391fef94b54b480b614b3cb5a1b\" href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwageindicator.org\u002Fabout\u002Fpublications\" title=\"Publications\">Publications\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fdiv>","light",{"text":40,"link":41},"Contact us",{"title":40,"url":42,"description":40,"rel":43,"type":44,"id":45},"\u002Fabout\u002Fcontact","follow","internal",24590,[47,51,55,59],{"id":48,"slug":49,"name":50},5,"collective-agreements","Collective Agreements",{"id":52,"slug":53,"name":54},12,"gender","Gender",{"id":56,"slug":57,"name":58},3,"minimum-wage","Minimum Wage",{"id":60,"slug":61,"name":62},1,"salary","Salary",[],[],[],false,"\u002Fwork\u002Fliving-wages\u002Fcontact-us","\u003Cp>Welcome to WageIndicator. Same organisation, same information, new look!\u003C\u002Fp>","September 2005 - End of 2007","Closed",[72],{"id":73,"slug":74,"name":75},4,"european-commission","European Commission"]