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Men's wages 800 euros a month higher than women's in private sector

According to the latest figures from Statistics Finland, women in the private sector earn 800 euros a month less than men. The overall average salary in 2015 was 3,574, while the median 3,170.

Kaksi viidenkymmenen euron seteliä.
Image: Henrietta Hassinen / Yle

New figures from Statistics Finland show a wide disparity in the salary packets of men and women in the private sector. In 2015, the data agency found that men earned an average of 3,970 euros per month and women made an average of 3,150 euros.

That brings the average pay for women to 79 percent of the pay of the average man. That's up from 76 percent ten years ago.

Median pay—that is, the salary that is in the middle of all salaries arranged from lowest to highest—is lower at 3,170 euros. Men's median pay in 2015 was 3,590 euros and women's was 2,812 euros. The median salary minimises the influence of the biggest salaries on the average number, and therefore better reflects the wages most people earn.

Overall, the mean salary in private sector workplaces was 3,574 euros for a full-time job. The lowest-earning tenth of workers make an average of 2,130 euros and the highest-earning 10 percent makes 5,500 euros on average.

Sources: Yle