BRUSSELS, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Pay and employment gaps between women and men in European Union (EU) member states are shrinking in 2013, but the progress needs to get faster, according to an EU report published on Monday.
The 4th annual gender equality report of the EU reveals that women's employment rate in the bloc has increased to 63 percent from 58 percent in 2002, but still less than the 75 percent for men.
Pay gap between the genders stagnates at 16.4 percent Europe-wide and the gender gap in pensions stands at 39 percent, though 60 percent of university graduates are women.
The report says, women are less likely to hold senior positions. They account only for an average 2.8 percent of the Chief Executive Officers, 27 percent of senior government ministers.
Women also bear the brunt of unpaid work within the household and family. On average, women spend 26 hours a week on care and household activities, compared with nine hours for men.
The European Commission called on its members to step up its efforts by raising awareness about the remaining gender pay gap, marking a European Equal Pay Day and monitoring the application of legislation on equal treatment of women and men.
"For us Europeans gender equality is not an option, it is not a luxury, it is an imperative," said Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission and the EU Justice Commissioner.
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