Editing Sexism (section)

==== <span class="anchor" id="Proposed Explanations"></span> Causes for wage discrimination ====

The non-adjusted gender pay gap (the difference without taking into account differences in working hours, occupations, education, and work experience) is not itself a measure of discrimination. Rather, it combines differences in the average pay of women and men to serve as a barometer of comparison. Differences in pay are caused by:

* occupational segregation (with more men in higher paid industries and women in lower paid industries), 
* vertical segregation (fewer women in senior, and hence better paying positions), 
* ineffective equal pay legislation, 
* women's overall paid working hours, and 
* barriers to entry into the labor market (such as education level and single parenting rate).<ref name="Leythienne 2018">{{cite book |last1=European Commission |last2=Eurostat |last3=Leythienne |first3=Denis |last4=Ronkowski |first4=Piotr |title=A decomposition of the unadjusted gender pay gap using structure of earnings survey data – 2018 edition |series=Statistical Working Papers |date=2018 |publisher=Publications Office of the European Union |location=Luxembourg |isbn=978-92-79-86877-1 |issn=2315-0807 |doi=10.2785/796328 |id=KS-TC18-003-EN-N |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3888793/8979317/KS-TC-18-003-EN-N.pdf}}</ref>

Some variables that help explain the non-adjusted gender pay gap include economic activity, working time, and job tenure.<ref name="Leythienne 2018" /> Gender-specific factors, including gender differences in qualifications and discrimination, overall wage structure, and the differences in remuneration across industry sectors all influence the gender pay gap.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Blau |first1=Francine D. |last2=Kahn |first2=Lawrence M. |date=November 2000 |title=Gender Differences in Pay |journal=Journal of Economic Perspectives |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=75–100 |doi=10.1257/jep.14.4.75 |s2cid=55685704 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

[[Eurostat]] estimated in 2016 that after allowing for average characteristics of men and women, women still earn 11.5% less than men. Since this estimate accounts for average differences between men and women, it is an estimation of the ''unexplained'' gender pay gap (i.e., that which cannot be accounted for by factors such as differences in profession).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-05 |title=What are the causes? - European Commission |url=http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/gender-pay-gap/causes/index_en.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305121349/http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/gender-pay-gap/causes/index_en.htm |archive-date=2016-03-05 |access-date=2019-01-16 |website=European Commission}}</ref>