Equality Minister Norma Foley  said the gender pay gap is most notable in the early stages of a woman's career

A Growing Up Ireland study has found that 25-year-old men earn €50 more per week than women of the same age.

Speaking about the findings, Equality Minister Norma Foley said Ireland has made some progress in narrowing the gender pay gap, but these findings prove we still have a long way to go.

Speaking on International Women's Day, she stated:

"Happy International Women's Day to all women across Ireland. It is a day in which we celebrate the talent, capability, and ability of women. But it is also a day to shine a light on where that immeasurable talent isn't being appropriately recognised.

"Ireland has made real progress in narrowing the gender pay gap, but this research shows that inequalities are already emerging at the start of working life. To keep that progress going, we need to support young women to enter higher‐paying sectors and ensure fair, transparent pay practices.

"This approach reflects the ambition of the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025–2030, particularly its goal of ensuring women have a fair share of economic and financial power."

The Growing Up in Ireland study examined the earnings of 1,911 women and men born in 1998. 

The study team found that 25-year-old men typically earn €50 more per week compared to 25-year-old women.

Why is there such a big gap between their earnings?

Dr. Dáire Crotty and Mr. Ciarán Murphy explained that some factors may explain why women are earning less than men. One reason may be that more women are working in low-paying sectors, like education and social work. There was also a slight difference between men's and women’s weekly hours, with men working

However, these factors do not completely explain why there’s a substantial pay difference at age 25. On average, a man works 40.3 hours, while a woman works 38.3 hours.

The study found that women had higher levels of education than men in this age group. They also noted that most of the women involved in the study did not have children.

The team stressed that this was concerning because this gender pay gap wasn’t due to the ‘parenthood penalty’ seen in women over 25.

Minister Foley stressed that employers should disclose their Gender Pay Gap Portal.

 "Transparency is essential to closing the gender pay gap. I encourage all employers with more than 50 staff to publish their reports on the Gender Pay Gap Portal ahead of the introduction of mandatory reporting in November this year.”

You can read the full study here.