Female employees in Croatia are still underpaid and receive 16% less pay than men. This was reported by the job board MojPosao on Thursday on the occasion of International Women's Day.

According to MojPosao, the average net salary of a man in 2023 was €1,290 and that of a woman €1,079.

The largest gender pay gaps were recorded in retail (20%) and administration (19%), and the smallest in companies in the production, transport and distribution of electricity, oil, water and waste (5%) and arts, entertainment and sport (6%).

On the other hand, women are paid more than men as chemical laboratory technicians (17%), corporate social responsibility specialists and legal advisers (12%) and project planners and business secretaries (7%).

The smallest gender pay gaps were found among the youngest respondents and those with less than one year of work experience.

According to MojPosao, this supports the theory that the pay gap increases the most when women interrupt their careers in favour of family, while men continue to advance and gain experience.

The largest gender pay gap is in the 45-54 age group, where men earn 27% more.

According to MojPosao, the pay gap is due to discrimination, occupational preferences, as women are often more represented in underpaid sectors such as textile industry, tourism, retail and services, as well as maternity leave.