“When we pay women less than men, we’re telling women their work isn’t as valuable,” says Maria Shrivers, the US author and freelance journalist. “But we’re equally valuable. And we should be paid equally.”
The gender pay gap in the USA is real. Recent data from the US Census Bureau and software accounting firm Payscale shows that female workers are still earning 17% less than their male counterparts. In many cases, that translates to thousands of dollars per year.
And it isn’t just full-time female workers who are missing out on fair and equal pay. There’s also a substantial gender earnings disparity in the freelance economy.
In fact, the figures suggest it’s even harder for freelance female workers to compete with their male peers. Despite making up nearly three-quarters of all freelancer workers in the USA, women working on shorter contracts or a project basis earn 28% less than men doing the same
Who says there’s no such thing as a glass ceiling in the freelance world? Not women, that’s for sure!
So why are women freelancers making less? What industries have the largest freelance gender pay gap? And what can the girls do to ensure that employers are paying them what they’re really worth?
ZenBusiness has all the answers. Using data from freelance network Upwork and Gender API, its researchers created several charts highlighting the realities of the gender freelance pay gap in the US economy.
They show that, on average, male freelancers charge $22.48 more per hour than females. The pay gap is biggest in freelance accounting and financial consulting, where men earn up to 40% extra.
The creative industries are most on par regarding the gender pay gap. And in a few areas, women are the biggest earners. Female creatives with image editing skills charge $10 more per hour than the boys.
Check out the rest of the data and charts below, including the seven tips for setting freelance rates that reflect your true value.
7 Ways to Set Your Rates as a Freelancer, courtesy of ZenBusiness
