Gender pay gap and economic inequality: A comparative study

From 2010 to 2023, this comparative analysis investigates the intricate link between gender wage inequalities and more general economic inequality in various national settings. By means of mixed-methods research integrating quantitative salary data from twelve focal countries with qualitative institutional evaluation, we find notable regional differences in unadjusted gender pay inequalities ranging from 11.3% in Nordic nations to 23.8% in East Asian economies. Our results show that nations with better collective bargaining procedures, all-encompassing parental leave legislation, and lower general economic inequality show fewer gender wage gaps. Notwithstanding women's educational advantages in most studied areas, occupational segregation (contributing 7.3% to the gap) and disproportionate career penalties for caregiving responsibilities (with women experiencing a 3.8% permanent earnings reduction year of career interruption versus 1.5% for men) continue to drive ongoing economic inequalities. The studies also show how gender-based inequities interact with other societal aspects to create especially severe disadvantages for minority and immigrant women. Although unadjusted inequalities have narrowed by an average of 0.4 percentage points yearly, adjusted gaps account for human capital determinants show more persistence, therefore underscoring the limits of educational achievement alone in reaching economic equality. With particular attention to the transferability of successful models across various socioeconomic and cultural settings, this study intends to identify effective policy interventions and institutional reforms that have successfully reduced gender-based economic disparities by rigorous cross-national comparison.