These are the office jobs that could see you earning nearly 50% less than some of your co-workers
Female financial clerks make 61.1% of a male financial clerk's salary. Image: REUTERS/David Moir
53 years after the Equal Pay Act was passed, the gender wage gap continues to be a contentious issue in the work force.
According to the White House, the median woman working full time earned 78 cents for every dollar earned by the median man in 2013.
Debates tend to focus on the complex set of reasons for the gap, but it's interesting to note which occupations feature the largest wage disparities.
Data from the United States Census Bureau allows us to piece together which fields see the most substantial imbalances in earnings.
Here are the white collar jobs — occupations or occupational groups that involve mostly non-physical office work — with the largest pay gaps between full-time, year-round male and female workers as of 2014.
30. Market research analysts and marketing specialists
Average wages for men: $79,902
Average wages for women: $60,798
Female market research analysts and marketing specialists make 76.1% as much as male market research analysts and marketing specialists.
29. Optometrists
Average wages for men: $79,902
Average wages for women: $60,798
Female optometrists make 75.8% as much as male optometrists.
28. Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists
Average wages for men: $62,739
Average wages for women: $47,450
Female compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists make 75.6% as much as male compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists.
27. Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents
Average wages for men:$63,606
Average wages for women: $47,747
Female tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents 75.1% as much as male tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents.
26. Opticians
Average wages for men: $45,916
Average wages for women: $34,290
Female opticians make 74.7% as much as male opticians.
25. Parts salespersons
Average wages for men: $36,195
Average wages for women: $26,989
Female parts salespersons make 74.6% as much as male parts salespersons.
24. Real estate brokers and sales agents
Average wages for men:$62,132
Average wages for women: $46,221
Female real estate brokers and sales agents make 74.4% as much as male real estate brokers and sales agents.
23. Property, real estate, and community association managers
Average wages for men:$60,819
Average wages for women: $44,159
Female property, real estate, and community association managers make 72.6% as much as male property, real estate, and community association managers.
22. Procurement clerks
Average wages for men: $59,765
Average wages for women: $43,055
Female procurement clerks make 72% as much as male procurement clerks.
21. Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Average wages for men: $77,993
Average wages for women: $56,151
Female healthcare practitioners and technical workers make 72% as much as male healthcare practitioners and technical workers.
20. Judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers
Average wages for men: $111,928
Average wages for women: $80,325
Female judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers make 71.8% as much as male judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers.
19. Computer operators
Average wages for men:$50,004
Average wages for women: $35,821
Female computer operators make 71.6% as much as male computer operators.
18. General and operations managers
Average wages for men: $74,888
Average wages for women: $53,539
Female general operations managers make 71.5% as much as general operations managers.
17. Physicians and surgeons
Average wages for men: $211,526
Average wages for women: $150,053
Female physicians and surgeons make 70.9% as much as physicians and surgeons.
Average wages for men: $101,115
Average wages for women: $71,535
Female natural sciences managers make 70.7% as much as natural sciences managers.
Average wages for men: $36,903
Average wages for women: $26,051
Female retail salespersons make 70.6% as much as male retail salespersons.
Average wages for men: $54,623
Average wages for women: $38,292
Female production, planning, and expediting clerks make 70.1% as much as male production, planning, and expediting clerks.
Average wages for men: $75,638
Average wages for women: $52,378
Female advertising and promotions managers make 69.2% as much as male advertising and promotions managers.
Average wages for men: $60,366
Average wages for women: $41,460
Female statistical assistants make 68.7% as much as male statistical assistants.
Average wages for men: $97,067
Average wages for women: $65,229
Female marketing and sales managers make 67.2% as much as male marketing and sales managers.
Average wages for men: $61,939
Average wages for women: $40,861
Female insurance sales agents make 66% as much as male insurance sales agents.
Average wages for men: $71,012
Average wages for women: $46,834
Female credit counselors and loan officers make 66% as much as male credit counselors and loan officers.
Average wages for men: $86,854
Average wages for women: $56,890
Female database administrators make 65.5% as much as male database administrators.
Average wages for men: $94,742
Average wages for women: $60,512
Female financial managers make 63.9% as much as male financial managers.
Average wages for men: $50,567
Average wages for women: $32,122
Female salespersons make 63.5% as much as male salespersons.
Average wages for men: $100,564
Average wages for women: $63,432
Female personal financial advisors make 63.1% as much as male personal financial advisors.
Average wages for men: $66,189
Average wages for women: $40,423
Female financial clerks make 61.1% as much as male financial clerks.
Average wages for men: $100,017
Average wages for women: $57,024
Female securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents make 57% as much as male securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents.
Average wages for men: $91,705
Average wages for women: $49,220
Female financial specialists make 53.7% as much as male financial specialists.
Average wages for men: $120,569
Average wages for women: $62,167
Female legal workers make 51.6% as much as male legal workers.
Read more:
Don't miss any update on this topic
Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.
License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
Stay up to date:
Future of Work
Related topics:
The Agenda Weekly
A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.