On average, women in Germany continue to receive lower hourly wages than men. In 2022, the difference was 4.31 euros, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office on Monday. That was 18 percent less than the average gross hourly wage for men of 24.36 euros.

The gender pay gap has narrowed over the years, from 23 percent in 2006. In the east, the differences are still much smaller than in the west.

The statistics office explains almost two-thirds of the recognized wage gap with higher part-time quotas and lower salaries in some female-typical professions. An adjusted gap (adjusted gender pay gap) of around 7 percent of the gross hourly wage remains without a clear explanation. According to this, women employees earned an average of 7 percent less per hour than men, even with comparable work, qualifications and employment history. The authority suspects that career breaks, for example in the case of pregnancy, raising children or caring for relatives, play a role here.

According to the statistics office, a comparison of the earnings gap with the previous year is only possible to a limited extent due to a new survey method and a changed data source.