'How much do you earn?' Germany takes on gender pay gap It's one of the last great taboos: asking a colleague how much they earn. But Germany is hoping workers will do just that under a new law that aims to close the country's yawning gender pay gap. The legislation, which came into effect in Europe's top economy on January 6, gives an employee the right to know how their salary compares with that of colleagues of the opposite sex doing similar work. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES