Gender pay gap and finances

The gender pay gap has dramatic long-term effects on women's finances.

The figures (Germany):

• Unadjusted pay gap: 18% (women earn on average 18% less per hour)
• Adjusted pay gap: 6% (for the same work and same experience)
• Gender pension gap: 26% lower pensions for women
• Gender wealth gap: 40% less wealth

Causes:

• Women work part-time more often (49% vs. 12% of men)
• Women take longer parental leave (on average 14 months vs. 3 for fathers)
• "Typically female occupations" (education, care) are worse paid
• Women negotiate their salary less often

What women can do CONCRETELY:

✅ Negotiate your salary: always. With every job change, at every review
✅ Your own ETF savings plan: independent of your partner! Not everything through the joint account
✅ Share parental leave: both partners take parental leave (partnership bonus: 4 extra months!)
✅ Keep working full-time or return early: every year of part-time work costs over €100,000 in wealth and pension in the long run
✅ Calculate your pension gap: women need to make MORE private provision than men, not less