The gender pay gap is wider than originally thought. Not just because of percentage but because of expectations. Case in point is the new data from JobLeads, which shows that women set salary expectations 9.5% lower than men, before they even send in their applications.
JobLeads’ gender pay gap analysis shows women’s average low salary expectations standing at $72,282 versus men’s at $79,906, which is a 9.5% gap. The high-end average follows a similar pattern. Women expect $156,846 versus $170,842 for men, an 8% difference.
Not only that, but 94% of men who clicked on at least one job also submitted at least one application, compared to 81% of women. What this means is women browse jobs as ambitiously as men, clicking on job listings at 99% the rate men do, but pull back at the apply button, choose lower-paying roles and concentrate in industries that undervalue the skills they bring.
See also: Beyond the gender pay gap: What HR needs to know
Women aren’t less skilled or less ambitious. They are, however, more conservative in what they believe they’re worth. With the gender pay gap being the lowest in history, data says it’s still a big part of every stage of the job search.
The industry with the largest pay gap is the legal profession. Women make, on average, $125,399 per year, while men make $141,506—about a $16,000 difference. When women do push back, they’re less successful: Only 42% of women who negotiated got what they asked for, versus 55% of men.
Biggest gap in application rates in fields where women are a minority
The gap in application rates is largest precisely in the fields where women are already the minority. For example, IT/technology shows a nearly 36% higher application gap where women browse tech roles nearly as much as men, but apply at dramatically lower rates.
The only industry with near-parity is bio/pharmacology/health, the sector where women are already the majority (72.5% of users who work in the industry). The friction at the apply button appears to be amplified when women are navigating spaces where they’re already underrepresented.
Consulting and engineering have the lowest female application rates of all, both below 50%.
Also, 37% of women on JobLeads seek remote roles, versus 30.5% of men. On top of that, women are 55% more likely to browse part-time jobs (23% vs 15%). These aren’t choices made in a vacuum. External research consistently links these preferences to caregiving responsibilities that still fall disproportionately on women. The report concludes that closing the pay gap means intervening at every one of those stages. Salary transparency helps narrow the expectation gaps. Women are more likely to apply when it’s made explicit that salary negotiation is on the table.
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