OECD Gender Wage Gap Analysis

Ananya George Martin

Introduction

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

Why This Topic Matters

  • Wage gap = Difference in median earnings between men and women
  • Influenced by occupation, education, discrimination
  • OECD data offers 18+ years across 30+ countries

The average gender wage gap across OECD countries has shown a clear downward trend from nearly 19% in 2005 to approximately 13% in 2023, reflecting global progress in addressing gender inequality in earnings. However, despite this overall improvement, significant regional disparities persist. As of 2023, the Americas exhibit the highest average wage gap, while Europe generally demonstrates a lower gap, suggesting varying levels of policy effectiveness and cultural factors influencing wage equity across different parts of the world.

Australia’s Gender Wage Gap: Trend and Global Standing

Australia’s gender wage gap was higher than the OECD average until 2016 but has since declined, reflecting the impact of national reforms. However, in 2023, it still ranks among countries facing persistent challenges in achieving pay parity.

Evolution of Gender Wage Gap Distribution and Central Tendency(2015–2023)

This slide compares the distribution of gender wage gaps across OECD countries (left) with the median wage gap trend over time (right). While the boxplot reveals variability and outliers, the line plot shows a clear downward trend in the median gap, indicating gradual improvement. However, the wide spread in some years suggests ongoing disparities across countries.

Wage Gap vs Female Workforce Representation (2023)

This slide explores whether higher female participation in the workforce and leadership correlates with reduced wage gaps across countries. The scatter plot (left) shows a weak downward trend, suggesting that higher employment rates do not always guarantee lower wage gaps. On the right, a bar chart highlights countries with the highest and lowest shares of women in executive roles — illustrating how gender representation varies sharply across the globe, often independent of wage equality.

Gender Wage Gap: A Global Map (2023)

This interactive map visualizes the gender wage gap across OECD countries in 2023. Countries are shaded according to their reported wage gap, allowing for a quick geographical assessment of gender-based earning disparities. Hover over each country to see its specific wage gap percentage. Use the buttons below to highlight countries within specific wage gap quartiles.

Slide 6: Top vs Bottom 5 (2005 → 2023)

Slide 7: Regional Comparison (2023)

Slide 8: Distribution Over Time (2015–2023)

Slide 9: Key Takeaways

  • 🇦🇺 Australia has improved, but gaps persist
  • 🇯🇵 Japan & 🇰🇷 Korea still lead in inequality
  • Regional gaps are visible: Europe lowest
  • Wage gap distribution is narrowing over time

Slide 10: Conclusion

  • Gender pay equity is a work in progress
  • OECD dataset reveals critical global insights
  • Policy interventions (like WGEA) are helping
  • Ongoing reforms needed for true parity