Younger women are more likely to be paid less than men in tech
US survey shows women paid 29 per cent less on average during the time they enter the work force
The pay gap may close with age, but women entering the tech workforce in the US are finding themselves being paid way less than their male counterparts, a new survey by California work culture researchers Comparably shows.
The salary comparison website surveyed more than 10,000 tech employees to see how median salaries break down across gender and age — although it doesn't take into account things like location, department, or experience levels.
Comparably's data showed that the gender pay gap — where women are paid less than their male peers — is largest between workers ages 18-25, the age when most people start entering the work force. The average female tech worker only makes US$66,000 while the male makes an average of US$85,000, a 29 per cent difference between median salaries.
The good news is that the gender pay gap does apparently shrink from there, at least until women enter their late 30s and early 40s.
Comparably's CEO Jason Nazar could only speculate, but thought the difference in pay at that age could be attributed to women re-entering the workforce after raising children, attributing to the lower initial salaries. By the time they are in their 50s, the pay gap between men and women in tech shrinks back down to 5 per cent.
Here's what it looks like:
