Women earn less
Even when working for a salary, earnings
between women and men diverge. Globally,
women earn 24 percent less than men.12 The
gap is due partly to the fact that women tend
to be under-represented at higher levels of pay
and in higher paid occupations. But even when
doing similar work, women often earn less—
with the gap generally greatest for the highest
paying professions. In the United States female
financial specialists earn only 66 percent of
what their male counterparts earn. For dentists
the proportion is 74 percent, and for accountants
76 percent.13 In Latin America female
top managers average only 53 percent of male
top managers´ salaries, and female scientists
65 percent.14
FIGURE 4.3
In 2015, 72 percent of working-age (ages 15
and older) men were employed, compared with
47 percent of women
Women Men
50
23
4
3
47
72
Unemployed
Employed
Economically
inactive
(% of working-age population)
Source: UN 2015b.
Chapter 4 Imb