Gender Pay Gap Statistics in. 2024 – Debunked

The Gender pay gap measures the average difference between men’s and women’s earnings but it’s not as simple as just “paying women less”. It is a good indicator of inequalities in access to work, progression, and rewards and how we, as a society, value the contribution of men and women in the workforce. 

Despite heightened awareness, the gender pay gap persists, revealing a 16% difference in earnings between men and women in 2024. The article provides the latest stats from Gender pay gap statistics in 2024 and sheds light on inequality across various industries, age groups, job titles, and demographics.

Controlled gender pay gap refers to the difference in pay between men and women when factors such as job titles, education, and years of experience are considered. On the other hand, the uncontrolled gender pay gap compares the median earnings of all women to all men, without considering differences in all these factors that may influence income.

Key Statistics on Gender Pay Gap 2024

• Women earn 16% less than men on average
• Currently, the uncontrolled gender pay gap is $0.83. Women earn 83 ¢ for every $1 earned by men. 
• The controlled gender pay gap is $0.99. Women earn 99 ¢ for every $1 earned by men. 
• Hispanic women earn 56 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men.
• Black women earn 64 cents for every dollar earned by white men, despite their high labor force participation rates.
• The gender wage gap average dips to 63 cents when multiracial Black women are included.
• The gender wage gap for Black and Hispanic women is wider than the gap between white, non-Hispanic women and their counterparts, at 79 cents per dollar.
• Women working full-time in the United States earn 84 cents for every dollar earned by men in similar positions. As a result, the collective income loss for working women surpasses $500 billion each year

Global gender pay gap from 2015 to 2023

Source: Statista

How the gender pay gap increases with age

The gender pay gap is generally much lower for new labor market entrants and widens with age.

• In 2022, women aged 25 to 34 earned 92% as much as men of the same age.
• Women aged 35-44 and 45-54 earned 83% as much as men in the same age groups
• The ratio dropped to 79% for every woman aged 55-64. 

A woman’s age shouldn’t define their paycheck yet it still does. Men usually see their pay increase steadily over time, while women’s pay tends to grow more slowly, especially after having children. This imbalance creates a gap that’s hard for women to overcome. Additionally, becoming a mother often means lower pay for women, while fathers often see their pay rise, making the inequality in the job market worse.

Gender Pay Gap Based on Job Title

Men, on average, earn nearly 10% more per hour than women in the private sector.

The top 20 positions with the widest controlled gender pay gap span across sales, finance, installation, maintenance, repair, and surgery. These industries often adhere to strict gender norms, making it challenging for women to secure employment and compete for equal pay. In 2024, the jobs with the widest controlled pay gap are Drivers/Sales Workers. 

Women now make up more than 10% of CEOs in Fortune 500 Companies but the pay gap for entry-level positions is still 18.4%.

C-suite pay at S&P companies increased by 24% from 2012 to 2020. Men experienced a 27% increase in pay during this period, while women saw only a 10% jump.

Women earn more than men only in 10 sectors. 

• Community and civil enforcement occupations (28.9%)
• Welfare professionals (20.9%)
• Biological scientists (20.6%)
• Hire services managers and proprietors (20.3%)
• Personal assistants and other secretaries (17.1%)
• Special needs education teaching professionals (16.8%)
• Veterinarians (14.3%)
• Occupational therapists (13.2%)
• Social humanities scientists (12.4%)
• Publicans and managers of licensed premises (11.4%)

Race and the Pay Gap

Women of color have historically faced and continue to face significant barriers to accessing the same educational and employment opportunities as their white counterparts. Between 1982 and 2022, the gender pay gap saw a reduction across all demographics of women. However, this narrowing was more pronounced for White women compared to Black and Hispanic women.

Since 1988, 

• Asian women’s earnings ratio increased from 69% to 87%, closing the gap by 18%. 
• White women’s earnings ratio increased from 64% to 79%, closing the gap by 15%. 
• Black women’s earnings ratio increased from 59% to 63%, closing the gap by only 4%. 
• Latina’s earnings ratio increased from 53% to 55%, closing the gap by only 2%.

The Gender Pay Gap by Countries

Cross-country data regarding the gender pay gap is often incomplete, but the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) provides the most comprehensive coverage. Over the past few decades, the gender pay gap has generally decreased in many countries worldwide.

In 58 countries, rural workers earn 24% less per hour than urban workers on average, with only half of this gap explained by differences in education, job experience, and occupation.

Gender Pay Gap USA

The gender pay gap in the United States has remained largely stagnant over the past two decades.

In 2022, women earned approximately 82% of what men earned, mirroring the 80% reported in 2002. Despite advancements in higher-paying jobs, women still fill more lower-paying roles. This contributes to the gender pay gap. More women (61%) than men (37%) believe employers treat women differently, while 45% of women and 40% of men see women’s choices in work-life balance as a factor. 

Widest and narrowest gender wage gap in the USA

Vermont has the smallest gender pay gap in the U.S., with women earning $3,872 less than men on average. Alaska and Nevada follow closely with gaps of $6,849 and $7,492 respectively. On the other hand, Wyoming has the largest gap, where women earn $18,877 less than men. New Hampshire and Utah also have significant gaps, with disparities of $16,686 and $16,562 respectively.

In the US, women of color face the brunt of the gender wage gap. 

Hispanic women earned 56 cents and Black women earned 64 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men. When including multiracial Black women, the gap averages to 64 cents.

Gender Pay Gap UK

In April 2023, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that full-time female employees earned 7.7% less per hour than their male counterparts. Meanwhile, part-time female employees earned 3.3% more per hour compared to men. These figures exclude overtime pay. The widest pay gaps within England are in London and the South East.

The UK has one of the lowest rates of pay for statutory maternity pay in Europe

9% of women take no maternity leave at all, with 11% citing affordability as the reason.

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) lasts for 39 weeks, starting at 90% of average earnings for six weeks and then dropping to £172.48 per week for the remaining 33 weeks. Maternity Allowance, an option for some women who don’t qualify for SMP, also pays £172.48 for the full 39 weeks. 

Many women, especially Black and Asian women in low-paid jobs with insecure contracts, miss out on statutory benefits like maternity leave and pay. 

Gender Pay Gap Canada

When considering both full-time and part-time employees, women in Canada make 89 cents for every dollar earned by men.

59.3% – the percentage of white men’s earnings that racialized women make, on average. The gender wage gap is larger for racialized women, newcomers, women with disabilities, Indigenous women, and trans women.

The gender pay gap between 1998 to 2018 was largely influenced by three high-paying and male-dominated sectors: construction, manufacturing, mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. 

Despite the high wages, only 14% of jobs in these sectors are held by women. This is due to unwelcoming environments in trades, with barriers like lack of mentorship and a culture that doesn’t accommodate childcare responsibilities. 

Gender Pay Gap Australia

Women earn 78 cents for every dollar a man makes on average. 

The WGEA reported that the average gender pay gap in Australia is 21.7%, indicating women earn $26,393 less per year than men, on average.

The gender wage gap is wider in the private sector

WGEA reports a 31.8 percent gender pay gap in the male-dominated construction industry. White-collar sectors like professional services, finance, IT, and media show men earning 24 to 26 percent more than women. On the other hand, public administration, education, and healthcare, which receive substantial government funding, display narrower gender pay gaps. Australia’s power giant, AGL admits it has a base salary pay gap of 30.3 percent, more than double the national average.

Migrant women in Australia are 7% less likely to be employed than women born in the country 

Factors such as race and migrant status are equally significant in understanding the gender pay gap, yet they often receive less attention and data collection in Australia.

Gender Pay Gap India

World Inequality Report 2022 estimates show that men earn 82% of labor income in India, while women earn 18%

Salaried women and the gender wage gap in India

The average monthly salary for an Indian male was ?20,666, while it was ?15,722.25 for a female from July 2022 to June 2023. Odisha had the highest wage gap at 68%. The state is followed by Jharkhand at 67%, and Gujarat at 62%, where the average monthly salary for women was the lowest at ?10,419. Gender discrimination in hiring, promotions, and salary discussions fuels the gender pay gap. Biases from traditional gender roles lead to unequal treatment at work.

India’s steps to reduce Gender pay gap

The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017 increased paid maternity leave for women employees to 26 weeks from 12 weeks in establishments with 10 or more workers.

The Equal Remuneration Act, of 1976 ensures equal pay for men and women and prevents sex-based discrimination in employment matters.

MGNREGA, established in 2005, boosted rural and agricultural wages, benefiting women workers and reducing the gender pay gap. 

Conclusion

The gender pay gap means women consistently earn less than men, impacting their ability to save for retirement. Various factors widen this gap for women. To address it, we must ensure fair pay, improve financial education, and raise awareness about the gender pay gap.