Women in Croatia Earn 13 Percent Less Than Men

According to an analysis of data from the MojaPlaća service, backed by the company Alma Career Croatia, women in Croatia earn, on average, 13 percent less than men, which in practice means that men earn around 1,600 euros on average, while women’s earnings remain below 1,400 euros.

Comparing earnings for the same position shows that this difference falls to seven percent, meaning that women, even when performing the same job, still earn less than men on average, although the gap is significantly smaller than in the overall comparison.

In some sectors, the differences are alarmingly high, while in others, women even have a slight advantage.

The largest gap is recorded in technology and development, where women earn, on average, 20 percent less. A similar situation exists in sales and service industries, where the difference is 18 percent.

On the other hand, women are, on average, better paid than men in the automotive industry, where they earn about five percent more, and in telecommunications, about three percent more.

Career Breaks Due to Motherhood and Family Care

The analysis commentary states that women are more likely than men to temporarily “pause” their careers due to motherhood and family care, with the consequences becoming visible years later.

For this reason, it is emphasized that the differences are smallest at the very beginning of their careers. Among employees with less than a year of experience, women earn, on average, eight percent less. However, after five years of experience, the gap significantly widens to 15 percent, showing how career breaks and unequal distribution of family responsibilities affect women’s long-term prospects.

This is also evident in advancement – women less frequently reach the highest positions, and even when they enter top management, their earnings still lag behind those of their male colleagues by an average of 15 percent. The smallest differences are recorded in office operational jobs, where the gap is about seven percent, indicating that inequalities increase proportionally with the level of responsibility, hierarchy, and negotiating power.

Larger Differences in the Private Sector

According to the data, the most equitable environment is offered by public administration, where women are paid only four percent less. However, the situation is significantly different in the private sector – in foreign-owned companies, women earn, on average, 15 percent less, while in domestic private companies, the gap is somewhat smaller but still high at 13 percent.

The difference in earnings between men and women is the result of a number of factors, according to the aforementioned service, best known for the MojPosao portal. Discrimination certainly plays a role, but it is not the only cause. Structural differences in the labor market continue to shape the reality in which women more often work in lower-paid sectors such as retail, tourism, and a wide range of service industries. Thus, they enter professions that, regardless of effort or qualifications, carry lower market value from the start.

Additionally, it is emphasized that gender stereotypes and social expectations continue to strongly influence professional choices. Many women, often unconsciously, are deterred from careers in better-paid fields, such as STEM, technological development, or management, which are sectors that traditionally have higher financial valuation.