NJ Women Earn Half As Much In These Fields

NEW JERSEY— Women in some of New Jersey’s highest-paying professions earn tens of thousands of dollars less than men working in the same broad fields, according to a Patch analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

The largest gap appears in legal occupations. Men earn a median of $175,185, while women earn $91,829: a difference of $83,356.

Law enforcement ranks second. Men earn $109,401 at the median, compared with $62,304 for women, a gap of $47,097.

The pattern appears across several professional fields.

Yana van der Meulen Rodgers, a labor economist at Rutgers University, said many of the highest-paying jobs remain dominated by men.

“As a gender specialist I would also say those are all male dominated occupations,” Rodgers said. “Which helps to explain some of the U.S. gender wage gap.”

Researchers have studied the gap for decades.

Rodgers said one of the main explanations is what economists call the “child penalty.”

“Women are penalized for childbearing and child rearing,” Rodgers said.

The effect shows up in how workers sort into jobs.

“So occupational segregation is one big reason,” Rodgers said. “Women are tracked into jobs that are more consistent with needing to balance childcare with their paid work.”

Those positions often offer flexibility but pay less, and Rodgers said in practice, women are effectively taking a pay cut.

Broad occupational categories, such as legal work or medical practitioners, include a wide range of jobs with different pay levels.

Rodgers said deeper analysis often reveals that men and women concentrate in different roles inside the same field.

“If you were to go into the really detailed jobs within that category, you would see that women are overrepresented in the lower paying jobs within that category,” Rodgers said. “And men are overrepresented in the higher paying jobs within that category.”

Even where laws prohibit unequal pay for the same job, Rodgers said enforcement can be difficult.

“We do have equal employment opportunity legislation,” she said. “It needs to be better enforced.”

Some states have tried new approaches, including bans on asking about salary history and laws requiring companies to post pay ranges for jobs.

Researchers are still studying how much those policies help.

Rodgers said broader policies aimed at working families could make the largest difference.

“The biggest help will be at the national level — paid parental leave,” Rodgers said. “As well as more universal access to quality childcare.”

Workplace culture can also influence pay and career paths.

In the legal profession, Rodgers said long hours and expectations around billable time often shape career outcomes.

Those expectations make it difficult to balance work and family responsibilities.

“It’s really not at all conducive to raising a family,” Rodgers said. “Many women have left, especially private law practices, because of this culture.”

The American Community Survey, which produces detailed workforce statistics across the country, helps economists and reporters analyze employment trends.

“I do want to put in a plug for the importance of the ACS data,” Rodgers said.

The survey allows researchers to identify patterns across industries, education levels and demographic groups.

“It’s valuable for research as well as journalism,” Rodgers said.

Top 10 Gender Pay Gaps In NJ

1. Legal Occupations

• Median men’s earnings: $175,185
• Median women’s earnings: $91,829
• Pay gap: $83,356
• Women earn about 52 percent of what men earn

2. Law Enforcement Workers (Including Police)

• Median men’s earnings: $109,401
• Median women’s earnings: $62,304
• Pay gap: $47,097
• Women earn about 57 percent of men’s earnings

3. Protective Service Occupations

• Median men’s earnings: $76,485
• Median women’s earnings: $46,759
• Pay gap: $29,726
• Women earn about 61 percent of men’s earnings

4. Sales And Related Occupations

• Median men’s earnings: $61,223
• Median women’s earnings: $31,979
• Pay gap: $29,244
• Women earn about 52 percent of men’s earnings

5. Health Diagnosing And Treating Practitioners

• Median men’s earnings: $119,316
• Median women’s earnings: $91,117
• Pay gap: $28,199
• Women earn about 76 percent of men’s earnings

6. Management, Business, Science And Arts Occupations

• Median men’s earnings: $103,342
• Median women’s earnings: $76,244
• Pay gap: $27,098
• Women earn about 74 percent of men’s earnings

7. Management Occupations

• Median men’s earnings: $122,194
• Median women’s earnings: $95,465
• Pay gap: $26,729
• Women earn about 78 percent of men’s earnings

8. Management, Business And Financial Occupations

• Median men’s earnings: $115,571
• Median women’s earnings: $90,354
• Pay gap: $25,217
• Women earn about 78 percent of men’s earnings

9. Installation, Maintenance And Repair Occupations

• Median men’s earnings: $62,430
• Median women’s earnings: $40,433
• Pay gap: $21,997
• Women earn about 65 percent of men’s earnings

10. Natural Resources, Construction And Maintenance Occupations

• Median men’s earnings: $56,878
• Median women’s earnings: $36,685
• Pay gap: $20,193
• Women earn about 64 percent of men’s earnings