The development of action strategies to combat pay inequality must be undertaken in several steps due to its complexity and must be well prepared. First, the prerequisite for any action is raising awareness of all persons concerned. Only if victims are informed, discriminatory practices and the effects of discriminatory tariffs could be specifically identified. In the case of direct gender discrimination, it is easier to prove unfair pay and trace back to the discrimination. Whereas, in the case of indirect discrimination, inequality is hidden behind neutral regulations. Here it is usually much more difficult to check the existence of discrimination than in a situation of pay inequality. As a first step, it can be helpful to document the activities of stakeholders for a long-term period in order to objectify one's own perception. In addition, a detailed analysis is necessary which brings to light the discriminatory structures. For unveiling such practices the special testing instrument “eg check” was developed. In exact instructions there are likewise persons concerned, works and staff councils and employers, tools , so as to make discriminatory measures transparent (www.eg-check.de). There are five different pay groups: requirement-related pay, increased levels of remuneration, performance pay, overtime pay and bonuses for difficult, providing a sophisticated analysis tool.
