Saxony: Wage gap between women and men in the state persists

Dresden (dpa / sn) - The wage gap between women and men in Saxony is getting smaller - but it continues to exist.

Saxony: Wage gap between women and men in the state persists

Dresden (dpa / sn) - The wage gap between women and men in Saxony is getting smaller - but it continues to exist. According to a study presented by the Ministry of Equal Opportunities in Dresden on Wednesday, the gap in Bavaria fell from 8.5 percent in 2019 to 7.6 percent in 2020.

This puts Saxony in a better position than the national average, where the difference in earnings between women and men was 19.3 percent in 2020. "Every percent difference is definitely one too many, even in Saxony," said State Secretary in the Ministry for Equal Opportunities, Gesine Märtens. The aim must be to completely close the gap.

For the study, researchers from the Institute for Labor Market and Vocational Research of the Federal Employment Agency (IAB) also examined a possible influence of the corona pandemic on the wage gap. Michaela Fuchs from the IAB explained that the first wave of the pandemic had not yet had an effect on the wage differences among full-time employees. That was surprising because mothers in particular looked after children at home during the first lockdown. Although after-effects cannot be ruled out, it is initially a good sign that the wage gap did not widen at the beginning of the pandemic.