The Shocking Salaries in These “Women’s Jobs” Prove How Deep the Wage Gap Really Is

The wage gap is nothing new. 

In fact, for decades, unequal wages among women and men — prevalent in 98.4% of the most common United States jobs, according to an examination of Census data by the Wall Street Journal released last week — have made headlines in the mainstream press.

But a closer look at jobs that are the most stereotypically female yields surprising results.

Women make 79% of what men make in child care...

80% of what men make as maids and housekeepers...

82% of what men make as preschool and kindergarten teachers...

87% of what men make as secretaries and administrative assistants...

And 86% of what men make as nursing, psychiatric and home health aides.

It's easy to assume women would out-earn men in "feminine fields" like child care and housekeeping — but the data proves the wage gap is deeper and more pervasive than you may realize. 

And here's another dose of irony: The seven jobs (out of 446 U.S. jobs) in which women earn more than men all rely on either manual labor, science or mechanics:

• Crane and tower operators 

• Transportation, storage and distribution managers

• Wood sawing machine setter and operators

• Meter readers, utilities

• Highway maintenance workers

• Dietitians and nutritionists

• Telecommunications line installers and repairers

Check out the Wall Street Journal's interactive graphic for more detail.