OECD Gender Wage Gap Analysis

Ananya George Martin S4109526

Introduction

A Data-Driven Story with Visual Insights
Data Source: OECD Data Explorer (2005–2023)

  • What Does the “Wage Gap (%)” Mean?

  • OECD defines it as: Difference between median earnings of men and women as a percentage of male earnings”

  • A 10% wage gap means: “Women earn 90 cents for every $1 earned by men (median)”

  • Wage gap = Difference in median earnings between men and women

  • Influenced by occupation, education, discrimination

  • OECD data offers 18+ years across 30+ countries

  • The OECD gender wage gap has dropped from ~19% (2005) to ~13% (2023). But regional disparities remain — e.g., Europe leads in equity while Americas lag behind.

➤ Are global policies closing the gap fast enough?

Distribution & Median Trend(2015–2023)

  • While the median wage gap is improving, countries vary widely in progress. The boxplots reveal persistent outliers—some countries stay stuck or regress.

➤ Is global progress hiding deeper inequalities?

Global Extremes (Top/Bottom 10)

  • Belgium, Italy, New Zealand lead in closing the wage gap.

  • South Korea, Japan, Israel remain at the bottom, with gaps >30%.

➤ What policies or culture differentiate top vs bottom?

Gender Wage Gap: A Global Map (2023)

  • This map gives a geographic overview of wage gaps in 2023. Use the quartile filter buttons to see which regions fall into high or low categories.

➤ Are regional clusters tied to economic or policy models?

Wage Gap vs Female Workforce Representation (2023)

  • Surprisingly, the higher female workforce participation does not always reduce wage gaps.

  • Leadership roles still lack gender balance, especially in top 10 low-representation countries.

➤ Does representation need to go beyond numbers into influence?

Australia’s Gender Wage Gap & Global Standing

● Australia’s gap narrowed significantly after 2016 but still exceeds OECD average.Globally, it sits mid-tier, highlighting progress but also unfinished work.

Conclusion

  • Over the past two decades, the OECD gender wage gap has steadily declined — showing progress, yet regional differences remain.

  • Countries like Italy, Belgium, and New Zealand consistently report the lowest wage gaps, while South Korea, Japan, and Israel still face the highest.

  • Australia has improved but continues to lag behind the OECD average, requiring further policy action.

  • Visual trends suggest a weak correlation between female employment and wage gaps, indicating that socio-economic factors alone aren’t enough — policy, leadership, and cultural reform are also critical.

  • Despite measurable progress, systemic inequality persists, calling for targeted action and global collaboration.

References