The wage gap between women and men in Bavaria remains larger than the national average. At 21 percent, it remained at the previous year’s level in 2022, after gradually falling in the previous three years, as the State Statistical Office announced on Tuesday. The unadjusted wage gap (gender pay gap) is three percentage points higher than the overall German figure.
According to the State Office, the average gross hourly wage for women in Bavaria was 20.41 euros last year. Men got 5.43 euros more per hour. However, the State Office points out that part of this difference can be explained by structural factors. Adjusted for these effects, there remains a difference of 1.79 euros or seven percent in Bavaria, by which women earn less than their male colleagues even with comparable labor market and job-related characteristics. The state office states that the most important structural factor for wage differences is that women work more frequently in occupations and sectors with lower wage levels.
Tuesday was Equal Pay Day in Germany. It symbolically marks the day of the year that corresponds to the wage gap between women and men. In Bavaria, however, it is actually committed too early – according to the state office, Equal Pay Day would actually only be on March 18th in the Free State. According to data from the Federal Statistical Office, Bavaria has the second largest wage gap in Germany – behind Baden-Württemberg and on a par with Hesse.
“When it comes to equality, a trend reversal is finally needed in Bavaria,” demanded the deputy chairwoman of the DGB Bavaria, Verena Di Pasquale. “In addition to the pronounced low-wage sector, in which mostly women are employed, the gradual decline in collective bargaining coverage is also responsible for the widening wage gap,” she criticized. “Here the state government can and must finally take countermeasures with a tariff loyalty and procurement law.”