The gender pay gap remains a persistent issue in the Polish labour market. According to the latest report by Hays Poland titled “Women in the Labour Market 2026: Transparent Pay = Equal Pay?”, only 26% of women believe that an employee’s gender has no impact on their salary. At the same time, confidence that greater pay transparency can effectively reduce the wage gap is declining.
Only a small proportion of women believe in equal opportunities for promotion and fair pay. Just 26% of women think that gender does not influence earnings. Meanwhile, employees are increasingly uncertain whether transparency alone can solve the pay gap problem — 59% of female professionals and 42% of men still believe it could help.
Companies also appear unprepared for upcoming regulatory changes. As many as 39% declare they are not ready to implement the EU Pay Transparency Directive, while 31% have no clear opinion on their level of readiness.
Female professionals are significantly more likely than their male counterparts to perceive inequality in opportunities for promotion and fair pay — a trend that has persisted in Hays research for years. The latest edition of the report shows that only 22% of women believe gender does not affect promotion opportunities, compared with 58% of men. Similarly, just 26% of women believe that employees with similar qualifications and responsibilities are paid fairly regardless of gender, compared with 58% of men.
This discrepancy in perception may stem from the fact that women are nearly twice as likely to experience gender-related challenges in their careers. The most commonly cited issues include lack of trust in their qualifications, favouritism toward the opposite gender, and reliance on stereotypes in hiring or promotion decisions. As many as 42% of female respondents say they have experienced the “glass ceiling” — a situation where higher-level positions were effectively inaccessible to them.
Data from the study show that gender-related barriers remain widespread:
| Year | Women (Yes) | Women (No) | Men (Yes) | Men (No) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 53% | 47% | 25% | 75% |
| 2025 | 57% | 43% | 32% | 68% |
| 2026 | 59% | 41% | 30% | 70% |
Women’s ambitions often go unnoticed
Over the years, Poland has made some progress in addressing inequalities in the labour market. For example, the issue of underrepresentation of women in leadership roles is now more widely discussed, prompting some organisations to introduce corrective measures. However, despite these initiatives, women and their competencies are still often undervalued, and men continue to dominate top management positions.
“Unfortunately, women’s ambitions and achievements are not always recognised. Partly, this is due to their attitudes — female professionals are less likely to speak openly about their successes and tend to judge their performance more harshly. However, the bigger barrier remains bias and harmful stereotypes suggesting that women lack natural predispositions for leadership roles. These attitudes are still present in business,” said Aleksandra Tyszkiewicz, CEE Executive Director at Hays.
She added that much remains to be done and organisations should intensify efforts to change the perception of leadership as a male-dominated space. Women’s efforts need to be supported by concrete, systemic solutions.
Employer actions not always effective
Support from employers and policymakers does not always produce the expected results, which in turn shapes employee attitudes. One key issue is the perceived effectiveness of measures aimed at reducing the gender pay gap. While 59% of female respondents still believe that widespread pay transparency could help reduce disparities, this share has fallen by 9 percentage points compared with the previous year. Skepticism is also growing among men.
Transparency alone is no longer seen as a universal solution, and employees increasingly expect more comprehensive measures.
| Would pay transparency help solve the gender pay gap? |
|—————-|——|——|—————-|
| | Yes | No | Hard to say |
| Women | 59% | 18% | 23% |
| Men | 42% | 42% | 16% |
“Looking at the past decade, we can speak of a certain fatigue with the topic of pay equality. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap 2025 report, at the current pace it may take more than 120 years to achieve full pay equality between women and men. This creates a context in which further initiatives — although necessary — are no longer perceived as breakthrough,” said Agnieszka Czarnecka, CEE Head of HR Consultancy at Hays.
Companies unprepared for EU pay transparency directive
This trend is particularly relevant in light of upcoming legal changes related to pay transparency under EU regulations. Although member states are required to implement appropriate national legislation by June 2026, most organisations still do not apply any form of pay transparency. Only 30% of surveyed companies consider themselves sufficiently prepared for the new requirements.
“Working with companies on job evaluation and preparation for the EU Pay Transparency Directive shows that pay gaps exist in every organisation. However, the biggest challenge is not identifying these disparities, but taking effective corrective action — and that is the most problematic stage,” added Agnieszka Czarnecka.
She also noted that declining confidence in transparency may reflect a growing belief that companies will not approach the issue genuinely. While some employers are making changes in job evaluation and pay gap calculations, these are often perceived as image-driven rather than substantive.
However, such an approach may prove short-sighted. The EU directive offers employees not only the opportunity to learn their salary range, but also to understand why they are placed within it. Companies that fail to address pay gaps with a well-designed, strategic approach will struggle to provide credible answers.
About the report
The “Women in the Labour Market 2026: Transparent Pay = Equal Pay?” report by Hays Poland is based on responses collected using the CAWI method between March and April 2026. The study includes nearly 1,000 professionals and is complemented by expert commentary on labour market trends.
