Special Report

These Are the 5 Jobs Where Women Actually Earn More Than Men

Grant Suneson

Published: April 30, 2021 1:00 pm

Though women are closer to achieving pay parity in the American workplace than they were in the 20th century, there is still a gender gap. In 1979, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, working women earned just 62% of what men earned. By 2020, that figure had risen to 82.3% — which translated to median annual earnings for full-time female workers of $46,332, versus $56,264 for men. 

Some of this disparity is attributable to the fact that traditional gender roles can sometimes pressure women into lower-paying jobs, like teaching or care-giving. It is worth noting that studies have shown these occupations have often been undervalued, compared to male-dominated jobs. These are the fastest-growing jobs dominated by women.

Yet even when working in the same fields, women almost always make less. Among the over 100 different kinds of jobs for which there is data in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, just five pay women higher wages than men.

The five jobs in which female workers earn more than their male counterparts have little in common. These jobs were spread out between creative, transportation, retail, information, and service industries. And it is worth noting that, even though women in these careers earned more, the difference was not significant: Women’s earnings in these jobs exceeded men’s by anywhere from 1.7% to 6.2%. 

Click here to see five jobs where women actually earn more than men.

To determine the jobs where women earn more than men, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey. Only occupations for which there was data for both male and female earnings were considered.

Three of the jobs had more female than male workers, but the other two did not. In addition, some paid relatively higher or lower wages compared to overall median earnings for all jobs. These are the 25 highest-paying jobs for women.

5. Fast food and counter workers
> Median annual earnings for full-time female workers: $24,440 (1.7% higher than for male workers)
> Total full-time workforce: 231,000 (63.2% female)

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4. Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products
> Median annual earnings for full-time female workers: $55,432 (1.8% higher than for male workers)
> Total full-time workforce: 130,000 (50.8% female)

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3. Bus drivers, transit and intercity
> Median annual earnings for full-time female workers: $41,132 (2.2% higher than for male workers)
> Total full-time workforce: 146,000 (39.0% female)

2. Office and administrative support workers, all other
> Median annual earnings for full-time female workers: $45,500 (4.7% higher than for male workers)
> Total full-time workforce: 437,000 (75.5% female)

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1. Producers and directors
> Median annual earnings for full-time female workers: $80,496 (6.2% higher than for male workers)
> Total full-time workforce: 123,000 (48.8% female)