Industries and Careers Where Women Earn the Highest Wages

The gender pay gap in America still places women’s pay at about 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. However, there are some settings and conditions where men and women are on more equal footing. Ethical employers should be doing everything they can to shrink the pay gap in all industries, and looking to industries that are getting it right can be an informative practice.

Where are women most likely to be paid a comparable rate to men? We’ll break down the industries where the smallest pay gap exists, but first, let’s look at where the pay gap is the largest.

We’ll be looking at statistics where the average pay of women in the industry is compared against the average pay of men. The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases thorough and comprehensive numbers on each major industry, and we recommend taking a look at their latest numbers if you want to evaluate a specific industry for gender equity.

Which American Industries Have the Largest Pay Gaps?

In 2017, the worst careers in terms of pay gaps between men and women were as follows:

1. Financial Advisors (58%)

2. Administrative services managers (62%)

3. Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents (64%)

4. EMTs and paramedics (65%)

5. First line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers (68%)

6. Real estate brokers and sales agents (70%)

7. Financial managers (71%)

8. First line supervisors of production and operating workers (71%)

9. First line supervisors of retail sales workers (71%)

10. Credit counselors and loan officers (71%)

Those percentages denote what percentage of men’s wages that women in that industry earn. One disturbing reality of the pay gap is that in industries that are mostly dominated by women, men are paid more. And in industries dominated by men? The women are still paid less.

These numbers reveal that some industries definitely have a lot of issues to solve when it comes to the pay gap. The financial industry has several different careers that are on the above “worst of” list. Retail managers come in at #9, but retail workers on the whole still experience a pay gap of 70%.

Which American Industries Have the Smallest Pay Gaps?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics data also gives us insight into the industries and careers that are doing a better job of narrowing the pay gap.

These are the 10 best occupations that have the smallest pay gaps:

1. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses (99%)

2. Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products (100%)

3. Counselors (99%)

4. Advertising sales agents (98%)

5. Special education teachers (96%)

6. Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks (96%)

7. Physical therapists (96%)

8. Combined food preparation and serving workers (96%)

9. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks (96%)

10. Social workers (96%)

Note that, according to NBC, “This ranking highlights the occupations in which men and women’s earnings have the smallest gap. So while female wholesale and retail buyers outearn their male counterparts, their gap is larger than that between licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, landing buyers second on the list.”

These specific careers may be where the pay gap is the smallest, but unfortunately, that doesn’t mean all of these careers are highly paid. Often, in higher paid industries, there is also a larger pay gap between men and women within that industry.

How Does the Pay Gap Affect Hiring Managers?

The work of a hiring manager is to find and hire the best possible talent for open positions within the company. Together with other decision makers, the hiring manager is tasked with negotiating with job candidates so that the company pays a competitive but realistic wage. If you’re one of these hiring managers, you know that you have to take into consideration the candidate’s experience and education, the type of position that is available, the location of the job, and currently relevant industry information.

What does the pay gap have to do with all of this?

Hiring managers who can advocate for shrinking the pay gap within their industry end up putting their company at an advantage over competitors. How? Because we’re currently in a candidate-driven market, job seekers have the flexibility to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of each potential employer in a more rigorous and critical way than they did a decade ago. This means that workers who are aware of the pay gap are going to look for employers who care about dismantling it.

When you actively pursue pay equity within your company, you create additional value and appeal to higher quality talent.

Want to know more about how to reduce the pay gap in your industry and your specific organization? Check out our free Employer’s Guide to Pay Gaps and Gender Equity! Contact us today to learn how we can help you recruit the top job candidates in the nation, especially those who are looking for progressive employers where gender equity is valued and prioritized.