Gender inequalities: A median salary gap of 20% in favor of men
Hibapress
The median salary is estimated at 3,400 DH for men, compared to 2,800 DH for women, a gap of 20% in favor of men, according to the High Commission for Planning (HCP).
“In 2019, the average monthly salary amounts to 3,800 DH per employee at the national level, with a notable difference between urban and rural areas, where it stands at 4,500 DH and 2,200 DH respectively. On average, men receive a monthly salary of 3,900 DH, compared to 3,700 DH for women,” specifies the HCP in an information note published on the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day which is celebrated under the theme “ Investing in women: accelerating the pace”.
Compared to the urban employed population aged 18 to 60, the average salary of men amounts to 4,900 DH, which represents an increase of 23% compared to the average salary of women, established at 3,900 DH, reports the same source.
By age group, the average salary gap follows an inverted U-shaped trend, with a period where women aged 18 to 29 earn an average salary 10% higher than their male counterparts.
However, beyond this age group, the pay gap widens, showing a disadvantage in favor of women. It reaches its highest level, with a gap of 41.4%, among employees aged 30 to 44.
Despite an attenuation of this gap for employees aged 45 to 60, it still persists in favor of men and remains at high levels, approaching the overall average of the pay gap, whatever the age group.
Measured by educational level, the salary gap, in favor of men, reaches its highest level (42.4%) among employees without educational level.
However, this gap is reduced to 30% among employees who have completed basic school training and stands at 37% among those who have reached a higher level of education, indicates the HCP, noting that the extent of the salary gap among the latter mainly comes from the gender pay gap in the private sector which amounts to 82%, compared to 13% in the public sector.
In other words, employment in the private sector contributes 79% to the salary gap between men and women who have pursued higher education.
Furthermore, in the public sector, with an average salary of 8,500 DH for men and 8,300 DH for women, the salary gap is limited to 2.4%. In the private sector, these averages are respectively 5,400 DH and 3,800 DH, i.e. a gap of 43%.
However, it is clear that these gaps remain less pronounced, or even reversed to the benefit of young female employees aged 18 to 29, i.e. a gap of -15.9% in the public sector and 6.8% in the private sector.
This turnaround is likely due to an effect of the activity behavior of young female employees who, being generally more educated and more qualified than their male counterparts, position themselves better on the labor market, explains the HCP.
The salary gap is also clearly differentiated according to socio-professional category. In the first years of the professional career, this gap remains relatively small, oscillating between 4% for the category of “Line managers, liberal professions and senior managers” and 9% for that of “Middle managers and employees”, before becoming more pronounced. clearly with age.
