- The disparity in remuneration between genders has decreased.
Despite progress, females continue to earn less than their male counterparts, even in Schleswig-Holstein. Over the period between 2006 and 2023, this disparity has narrowed, as per the North's Statistical Office findings. In the past three years, the raw gender wage gap has hovered around 12%. Initially, in 2006, the wage disparity was a significant 18%. In 2008, the raw gender wage gap peaked at 19%. From then on, it began to decrease.
Across Germany as a whole, the raw gender wage gap remained at about 23% from 2006 to 2012. However, since 2013, this gap has been gradually decreasing. As of 2021, women on average earn approximately 18% less per hour than men.
Frequently, women find themselves in professions and industries that offer lower pay. The primary reasons behind the wage disparities are structural discrepancies. For instance, women tend to be more prevalent in industries and professions that offer lower wages. Additionally, women are more often employed part-time, leading to lower average hourly gross wages.
Nonetheless, there's an unexplained portion of the wage gap - the so-called "adjusted gender wage gap." This refers to the wage difference that persists even when employees have similar characteristics.
In Schleswig-Holstein, this adjusted gap has been gradually increasing since 2014, reaching 7% in 2023. Therefore, women with comparable qualifications, responsibilities, and employment histories typically earn around 7% less per hour than men. For Germany as a whole, this figure was 6% in 2023.
In discussions about wage disparities, it's important to consider both the raw and adjusted gender wage gaps. Despite the reduction in the raw gap, the adjusted gender wage gap for women in Schleswig-Holstein has been on the rise, revealing a persistent issue of gender and sex-based pay inequality. Globally, addressing this issue requires understanding and addressing the structural discrepancies that contribute to these gaps, as women are often overrepresented in lower-paying professions and industries and are more likely to work part-time.
