Wage gap narrowing but still wide for Cypriot women

Entry into the European Union on 1 May 2004 has done a bit to narrow the wage gap between men and women in Cyprus, according to the latest data on average wages from the Statistical Service. However, the gap remains wide.
The average monthly salary for women in the fourth quarter of 2008 was EUR 1,644 (seasonally adjusted), compared with EUR 2,046 for men, leaving a gap of 24%.
In the first quarter of 2004, the average monthly salary for women was EUR 1,279, compared with EUR 1,657 for men, leaving a gap of 30%.
The figures on actual salaries paid are distorted upwards by the large salaries paid to the public sector, which accounts for around 20% of all employment in Cyprus. They also exclude “persons employed in private households”, who are predominantly low-paid women from Asia South and East Asia.