By using Eurostat ECHP and SILC Surveys a longer period between 1994-2005 can be examined in order to find out whether the situation changed (furthermore in which country and how) during this decade.

Large pay gap (Eurostat ECHP/SILC, 2005)

Medium pay gap(Eurostat ECHP, 1995)

Medium pay gap (Eurostat ECHP/SILC, 2005)

Small pay gap(Eurostat ECHP, 1995)

Small pay gap (Eurostat ECHP/SILC, 2005)

If we compare the pay gaps reported by the Eurostat ECHP/SILC and that of SES we can conclude that both methods revealed that Belgium, Slovenia, France and Hungary belonged to the lowest third of the group of countries. Sweden, however, was only among the countries of medium pay gaps according to Eurostat ECHP/SILC. Considerably more countries could be found among the countries of the largest pay gaps according to SES than according to Eurostat ECHP/SILC data. Therefore, apart from Great Britain, Germany, Estonia and Cyprus, all characterised by large pay gaps, Slovakia, Greece, Austria, Ireland, Spain and the Czech Republic also belonged to the group of countries of large pay gaps according to SES. Ireland and Greece were among the countries of small pay gaps according to Eurostat ECHP/SILC, while the very same countries belonged to the countries of large pay gaps according to SES.