On the surface, women appear to earn less than men — some estimates say as little as 80 cents on the dollar. But when we look at the data more carefully, we see that this isn’t a universal truth for all women and all jobs. In fact, in some jobs, for a variety of reasons, women tend to out-earn men.
But first, where did the idea of the gender wage gap come from?
“Women earn less than men on average because they often fill jobs with a large societal benefit, but small monetary benefit,” said Katie Bardaro, lead economist for PayScale. “Instead of focusing the debate on the misbegotten gender wage gap, we should instead examine why women are absent from high-paying jobs and industries, like technology, engineering and executive positions.”
In fact, when we look at certain job titles, the pay gap tends to diminish; in some cases, it tips in the other direction. When those numbers are controlled for outside factors like years of experience, management responsibilities, and company size, women out-earn men.
Here are seven jobs where women make more than men, once all other factors are considered:
| Job Title | Median Male Pay | Controlled Median Female Pay |
| Dental Hygienist | $53,000 | $55,300 |
| Security Manager | $51,700 | $53,200 |
| Mental Health Clinician | $42,100 | $43,200 |
| Assistant Buyer | $39,700 | $40,400 |
| Mental Health Worker | $31,200 | $31,700 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $61,600 | $62,400 |
| Bartender | $31,400 | $31,600 |
Tell Us What You Think
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More from PayScale
Do Men Really Earn More Than Women? [infographic]
Fallacy of the Gender Wage Gap
Do Male and Female Business Owners Earn Equally?
(Photo Credit: myfuturedotcom/Flickr)
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