Analytics, Estonia, Financial Services, Society, Wages

According to a partner at Fontes, Irja Rae, at present there is a situation where half of all wage money goes to 25 % of employees, two thirds of whom are men. "Even in case of jobs with the same value the pay level might be quite different on the market -- in the same group women often find themselves in positions with a lower income and men in positions with a higher income. There are many reasons behind the problem, but it is definitely connected to stereotypes in the society regarding women's and men's jobs, education, values of organizations as well as training and development programs," Rae said when commenting on the results of the study.

The total wage gap between men an women was 8% in 2015 and 9% in 2016. The methodology used by Fontes somewhat differs from the methodologies used by previously introduced studies carried out by Eurostat or the Praxis Center for Policy Studies since it compares wage differences inside job families, offering a more detailed overview.

According to Rae, the good news is that the wage increase of men and women has been equal and the number of workers whose wage increase is equal among both groups.

The wage data of 400 organizations and nearly 80,000 work positions was used to carry out the study. It is the most comprehensive wage study in Estonia and it is carried out every years since 1995.