Women Earn About 86% Of Men’s Wages, Report Finds

Women who work full time make about 86% of men’s total wages, reports the Wage Statistics Committee.

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In most cases, women’s wages have risen more than men’s. This is because the government has been raising the minimum wage and women are more likely to have low wages.

The gender pay gap is lowest in the city of Reykjavík.

“We have 85% of men’s wages there, but it is considerably lower in the city of Reykjavík, where women are 5% lower than men. They have 95% of the total salary of men, at the city of Reykjavík,” says Guðbjörg Andrea Jónsdóttir, chair of the Wages Statistics Committee.

Basic hourly wages have risen considerably during the wage agreement period, or by almost 23%. The increase is greatest in the city of Reykjavík, where it is closer to 30%.

Those who work full time made an average of 823,000 ISK per month in 2021.

“It varies considerably depending on which employers are involved. It is lower in the municipalities, around 680,000 and highest in the state as employers, 903,000 on average per month,” says Guðbjörg.