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Which industries have the largest gender wage disparities?
Executive summary
Available reporting shows the gender wage gap is widespread but varies sharply by industry and methodology: globally women earn about 77 cents per dollar on average (Equal Pay Today) and in the U.S. women earned 85% of men’s median hourly pay in 2024 (Pew Research) [1] [2]. Industry-level coverage repeatedly names finance, technology/engineering, manufacturing, and management/enterprise sectors as among those with the widest gaps, while healthcare, education and care are female‑dominated and typically lower paid — a major driver of aggregate disparities [3] [4] [5].
1. Where the gap looks biggest: finance, management, tech and manufacturing
Multiple analyses and surveys flag high-paying sectors — finance and insurance; management of companies and enterprises; certain parts of technology, engineering and manufacturing — as having some of the widest gender pay differences, even after controlling for job title and experience in some datasets [6] [4] [5]. Payscale’s research emphasizes that the gap can remain large “even when compensable factors like job title, hours worked, and years of experience are controlled,” pointing to persistent pay differences within high‑paying industries [4]. Bankrate’s industry breakdown (citing recent studies) lists finance/insurance and management among the worst-performing sectors [6].
2. Why industry composition matters: concentration in lower‑paid care and education roles
The World Economic Forum highlights gender-based industry segregation: women are heavily represented in healthcare & care (58.5%) and education (52.9%), sectors that pay less on average than male‑dominated finance and STEM arenas — a structural explanation for much of the uncontrolled wage gap [3]. Several sources note occupational segregation — women concentrated in education, administration and care roles, men in finance, tech and engineering — as a central driver of measured industry differences [7] [3].
3. Controlled vs. uncontrolled gaps: apples‑to‑apples matters
Researchers distinguish “uncontrolled” gaps (all workers) and “controlled” comparisons (same job, qualifications, hours). Statista cites a near‑zero “controlled” global gap in one measure, while Payscale and other U.S.-focused work show that even controlled analyses find persistent gaps in specific jobs and senior levels [8] [4]. Equal Pay Today and diversity analysts caution that career choice explains only part of the story; pay differences remain even among similarly credentialed women entering high‑pay fields [1] [9].
4. Leadership and senior roles amplify disparities
Several pieces of reporting show the gap tends to widen at senior levels: women in C-suite roles have been shown to earn less than male counterparts (Morningstar cited by Slayton) and Payscale’s top-job analysis highlights particularly large executive-level differences [5] [4]. That vertical segregation — fewer women in top-paying leadership positions — is repeatedly offered as a key mechanism behind industry wage gaps [5] [4].
5. Intersectionality: race, caregiving and part‑time work change the picture
Coverage emphasizes that gaps are larger for some groups: analyses cite much wider shortfalls for Black women and Latinas compared with white men, and New York State reporting shows including part‑time or part‑year workers worsens the measured gap [10] [11]. Payscale and other reports also document variation by parent status, race, and remote work, indicating industry rankings alone don’t capture important within‑group differences [4] [11].
6. Recent trends and what to watch for in industry comparisons
Reports show mixed recent trends: some global indicators edged toward parity while U.S. data suggest only modest closing over two decades [3] [2]. Analysts warn that post‑pandemic workplace changes (return‑to‑office policies, caregiving departures) can affect sectoral participation and thereby industry gaps; NPR and other outlets have linked recent widening to differential exits and RTO impacts [12]. Watch for updated Payscale, OECD and country‑level releases that disaggregate controlled vs uncontrolled gaps by industry and job level [4] [13].
7. Limitations, competing views and what reporting does not say
Available sources disagree on magnitude depending on measurement: global averages (77 cents) versus U.S. median hourly comparisons (85% in 2024) and some “controlled” measures that shrink the gap substantially [1] [2] [8]. Sources do not provide a single ranked list of industries with exact gap percentages that is consistent across countries — industry rankings change by dataset and whether analysis is controlled for job‑level and hours (not found in current reporting). Finally, some outlets emphasize occupational segregation and policy fixes (transparency, pay bands), while others stress systemic bias and caregiving penalties as primary causes [3] [9] [7].
Summary recommendation for readers: scrutinize whether a cited industry gap is “controlled” or “uncontrolled,” look for intersectional breakdowns (race, parenthood), and prioritize sources like Payscale, OECD, Pew and specialized national reports for comparable industry-level figures [4] [13] [2].