Although women perform better than men at the university and take the degree to a greater extent, they earn less once they enter the labor market. SVT has looked at all academic professions within the four largest unions within SACO. In all professions, men earn more than women during their first years as graduates.
- The starting salaries should be the most equal between the sexes, says Sara Andersson.
Almost SEK 7000 more
The biggest difference is between men and women with financial education, where men earn an average of almost SEK 7,000 more a month than women. The least difference is between those with a socio-economic education, where the men earn almost 200 SEK more.
There are some civil engineering programs where women earn more than men graduating. These include chemical and biotechnology, where the average women get almost SEK 2,500 more per month. But overall among all the civil engineering programs, the newly graduated men earn more.
May be due to discrimination
The differences in pay can be due to different things, for example that men and women choose to work in different sectors. In the private sector, wages are often higher than in state or municipal. But Sara Andersson of the Equality Authority believes there are more reasons.
- On the one hand, discrimination is a cause. But it can also depend on individual characteristics and knowing that women work part-time to a much greater extent than men. It is expected that women will be more absent than their male counterparts.