New research into the Bureau of Labor Statistics conducted by JobList found there are a few occupations in which women earn more than men, including billing, reservations, travel clerks, and advertising sales. However, the number of occupations for which this was the case was much smaller than the number of occupations in which men made more than women.
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In those few instances, women only made approximately $2,400 more than their male counterparts. In the many more roles in which men made more than women, they made much more—an average of $11,400 more than their female counterparts. Even when inequality favors women, it still does so in an unfair way.
Gender Pay Gap: An Ongoing Problem
The researchers note that there has been overall progress in the United States when it comes to eliminating the gender pay gap. However, multitudes of factors have perpetuated the problem across multiple industries and occupations.
While some organizations may make claims of equal numbers of female and male employees, that doesn’t say much about the equality of their pay. For example, 123 occupations that made more than $50,000 were examined. Of those, men made more than women 90% of the time. Part of the issue there is that men tend to be selected for higher-level positions over women in general. Even when women and men work the same jobs, however, men make more.
In 90% of the industries in which men had a salary advantage, they earned, on average, $11,400 more than women who were doing the same job. The study found the top occupations in which men made more than women for the same job were:
| Occupation | Wage Gap |
| Physicians and surgeons | $43,472 |
| Chief executives | $39,104 |
| Securities, commodities, and financial service sales agents | $30,784 |
| Financial managers | $27,144 |
| Credit counselors and loan officers | $25,740 |
Compare those with the top five occupations in which women made more than men for the same job:
| Occupation | Wage Gap |
| Advertising sales agents | $5,356 |
| Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians | $4,784 |
| Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks | $4,420 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food | $3,380 |
| Billing and posting clerks | $3,172 |
Pay Inequity in General a Major Issue
The pay disparity in general has become one of major concern. This study also looked at the issue extensively. The average wage for workers in the United States is around $52,000 per year. When you look at the top and bottom 10%, however, the annual income gap is, on average, $77,720.
Such gaps are an average across the nation. Some states and cities, however, have much higher gaps. Here are top five gaps by state and then by city:
| State | Overall Pay Gap |
| Washington, D.C. | $136,000 |
| New York | $97,000 |
| Massachusetts | $96,000 |
| Maryland | $94,000 |
| California | $94,000 |
| Cities | Overall Pay Gap |
| San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, CA | $137,000 |
| San Francisco, Oakland, Hayward, CA | $120,000 |
| Washington, Arlington, Alexandria, DC, VA, MD, WV | $119,000 |
| California, Lexington Park, MD | $115,000 |
| Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk, CT | $109,000 |
For more information on the study and more results, you can find the full study here.