Gender pay gap: women expect to earn less even after they graduate from high school

Created: 02/11/2022, 07:30

By: Anna Heyers

According to the results of a recent study, women expect to earn less than their male colleagues in their professional lives even after they have finished high school.

Employees of the German Institute for Economics (DIW) recently examined the income expectations of young people after graduating from high school.

They used the figures from the Berlin University Admissions Panel (Best Up) as a basis.

Gender pay gap: women get less salary

So much for "equal opportunities for all".

In practice, this is still wishful thinking - especially when it comes to the salaries of women and men.

In 2021, the so-called gender pay gap (average percentage wage difference between women and men) was still 18 percent.

And, according to a recent study, this is precisely the fact that has become so firmly established among young women that it is clearly visible in salary expectations.

After graduating from high school, women therefore expect a lower salary than men.

High school graduates expect 15.7 percent less money than high school graduates

According to the study, female high school graduates estimate their monthly net income to be 15.7 percent lower than their male classmates.

This is clearly shown by the results of the Berlin University Admissions Panel (Best Up).

In this study, young people after high school were asked what salary expectations they had at the age of 35 for a full-time job.

Salary: Which jobs can earn you good money

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Does the gender pay gap have anything to do with college degrees?

According to the study, school qualifications also play a role.

After a master's degree, young women expect to earn 13.8 percent less than their male fellow students, and the self-predicted salary difference for a bachelor's degree is even 18.7 percent.

Women who complete vocational training expect a gender pay gap of comparatively small 13 percent.

Low income expectations shape your own career

Women, who assume that they will have less work than men even after they have finished school, sometimes have to struggle with this for the rest of their professional lives.

"Actual income can be strongly influenced by income expectations," warns Andreas Leibing, co-editor of the study and PhD student in DIW's Education and Family department.

Actual income can be heavily influenced by income expectations.

Andreas Leibing, co-editor of the study

This is also due to the fact that women are usually more cautious in salary negotiations.

After all, they expect lower payments anyway.

The editors of the study believe that starting salaries in particular should be highlighted here, as they often set the trend for later income.

They also warn that jobs that require a university degree could make studying unattractive for women due to lower salary expectations.

Whether young women study or not also depends on their salary expectations.

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By the way: In order to earn a lot, you don't always need a degree.

Finally, there are a few jobs that are considered unpopular but where you can make good money.

Starting a family is the main reason for low income expectations

Especially among younger people, the salaries of women and men have become more and more equal.

The gender pay gap is still high for those aged 30 and over.

One reason for this is the phase of starting a family for many women.

The study shows that almost half (43 percent) of the gender pay gap analyzed resulted from the wage cuts that women expect in the course of new family responsibilities.

Leibing: "This means that women who want enough time for the family alongside their job have significantly lower income expectations," explains Leibing.

Men don't have that expectation.

[...] that women who want enough time for the family outside of work have significantly lower income expectations.

Andreas Leibing, co-editor of the study

Although men and women equally want time together with their families, men do not see this as a conflict with their careers.

This clearly shows that women - in contrast to men - always assume that family has to be weighed against work.

Because of lower salary expectations: Young women are less likely to start studying

Even after high school, young women rule out their first careers.

The main reason for this is, for example, that they believe it does not pay off financially.

Men here do not believe that they have to compromise for their goal.

This is particularly unfortunate, because certain professional groups are among the best earners in Germany.

The study makes it so clear that family and career planning and educational decisions are closely related to the expected salary.

Here it would be best for schools to be informed in good time before graduation about how work and family can be reconciled without a loss of salary.

Co-editor of the study, Andreas Leibing, also wishes that.