Gender Pay Gap: How women could earn much more

2020-03-06T16:10:28.395Z

Women still get significantly less wages than men. Researchers explain why this is so and what could help.

On average, women earn 21 percent less than male colleagues.
Three new studies were published on the occasion of International Women's Day .
Why the earnings gap arises and what society has to do with it.

Women still earn significantly less than men . According to the Federal Statistical Office, the gender pay gap , the so-called gender pay gap , averages 21 percent. This means that women get 21 percent less wages for the same work . Three new studies by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) have investigated why this is so and how one could counteract the differences .

Childcare is still a woman's job

Although men and women are equal in the German Basic Law, it still seems to be in the distant future in terms of salary. The fact is: women will be paid much less in 2020 than male colleagues. There are many reasons for this.

One of them is starting a family * . When it comes to childcare , there is still a clear trend among German couples. One stays at home with the children, the other earns the money. Statistically speaking, those who look after children earn less than their partner in the course of their lives. In most cases this is the woman.

Gender Pay Gap: The differences increase from the age of 30

As a result, the gap between salaries widened over the years. If it is still nine percent among those under 30, it rises to 28 percent among those over 49.

However, the time when salaries begin to drift apart doesn't seem surprising: women get pregnant for the first time on average at the age of 30. Many then only work half-days or take parental leave * . They often earn significantly less , sometimes nothing at all.

Involve men more

As the study situation now shows: This problem could be overcome. To do this, men would have to be more involved in family care. This would mean that the husband would have to take care of children, relatives in need of care and the household more often.

State incentives such as more partner months for parental allowance * , the introduction of family working hours and reform of spouse splitting could also help.

In the video: Why do women still earn less than men?

Gender Pay Gap: The difference also applies to women without children

"The very unevenly distributed care work * - that is, childcare in particular - helps to prevent hourly wages for women over 30 from increasing. Men, on the other hand, can see a significant increase in salary up to the age of 50, ”explains study author Aline Zucco.

But the studies also show that more needs to be done to compensate for the gender pay gap * . Because even if women don't give up their jobs in the meantime, on average they earn about six percent less than men in the course of their careers .

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Different wages are not considered unfair

How much injustice between men and women is anchored in society becomes clear when you look at the further study results . Because not only men feel it is fairer that women get a lower salary for the same job. Women also share this opinion.

Study participants had to evaluate who is entitled to which salary based on a description of fictitious people. Both genders found it fair that the salary perceived as just for men was about three percent higher than that of women. However, this does not apply to all age groups : respondents under the age of 33 classified equally high wages as fair, and larger differences were acceptable for older people.

Gender Pay Gap: Women expect fewer salary increases

The results of a third study are also part of the trend. Young academics , in particular, stated that they expect lower salary increases during the course of their careers than male employees.

"If women make certain decisions differently than men because they are more pessimistic about their future wages , this may increase actual wage developments and solidify the gender pay gap," says study author Iuliia Grabova. Researchers also have a solution for this: on the one hand, more women in management positions * could help counter stereotypes , on the other hand, there would be women with the opportunity to adjust their expectations.

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