(Brussels) “If an average European man stopped working today, his end-of-year pay would still be the same as that of an average European woman who works until 31st December. This is not right, and this is not acceptable. European employers must stop sending out the message that women are worth two wages a year less than men”. This metaphor is used by the EU Commission to explain the meaning of the European Equal Pay Day that will be celebrated tomorrow, November 3rd. In other words, that is the day on which, because of the gender pay gap, women all over Europe actually stop being paid: with an average hourly pay that is 16% less than men’s, in Europe women work for free 16% of the year. In the run-up to such event, the first deputy president of the EU Executive, Timmermans, Commissioner Thyssen and Commissioner Jourová also said: “In the European Union, men and women are equal: this is one of our fundamental values, which, however, is not the reality on the work market yet. For the same job, men’s average salaries are higher”. The gender pay gap is decreasing at such a slow pace, the EU Commission states, that only in 2086 will women be paid as much as men. On the European Equal Pay Day, “we commit therefore to giving women and men the same professional opportunities”.