In Belgium, women earn on average 22% less than men, according to Belgian HR service provider SD Worx, this pay gap is not only the result of slowly accumulated wage differentials during the career, but has existed from the very beginning of that career.

The study showed that young men at the start of their career earned higher gross monthly wages than young women at an average of €2,008.6 compared to €1,935.78 for women, a difference of 3.8%.

Male starters also receive more variable salary, are twice as often as women to rely on fixed expenses and are three times more likely to have a company car.

“There are a few different explanations for those differences,” Christel Van Wouwe, manager reward data at SD Worx, said. “Women are more likely to work in lower paid sectors and in which fringe benefits are more limited, such as trade. Women also often work on a more part-time basis than men.”

For the study, SD Worx compared the wages of more than 11,500 young workers under 24 years old.