How Much Less Do Women Make Around the World? The percentage difference in median earnings between men and women South Korea 37 5% Switzerland 18.5
Using a slightly different metric, the OECD found that the pay gap in the U.S. was about 18%, slightly higher than the median pay gap across 26 OECD states, which was about 14%.
Countries with lower pay gaps include New Zealand and Belgium; these nations also provide little by way of paid time off for new parents. Countries with higher pay gaps include The Czech Republic and Austria, both of which offer new parents about 10 months of paid parental leave (this figure does not reflect unpaid leave, or paid maternity or paternity leave). The U.S. has no national paid family leave policy, though a bill was recently introduced in Congress proposing one. (Some private U.S. employers offer paid leave.)
How Much Less Do Women Make  | Around the World?  | The percentage difference in median earnings  | between men and women  | South Korea 37 5%  | Japan 27.4  | Germany 20 8  | Israel 20.7  | Austria 19.2  | Canada 19.2  | Finland 18.9  | Switzerland 18.5  | Britain 18.2  | Czech Republic 18.1  | United States 17.8  | Slovakia 14.8  | France 14.3  | Sweden 14.3  | Australia 14.0  | Portugal 13.5  | Greece 12.2  | Denmark 11.8  | Ireland 10.7  | Italy 10.6  | Norway 7.8  | Belgium 7.0  | Hungary 6.9  | Poland 6.2  | Spain 6.1  | New Zealand  | Includes those countries with Adata available for 2009 or  | later. The gender gap Is defined as the difference between  | male and female median earnings divided by male median  | earnings  | Source: OECD Employment Data base 2012  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 