Statutory Minimum Wage: Effects on Women and Men

Since its introduction, minimum wage has led to greater increases in average hourly wages and monthly earnings for women than for men. The effects of minimum wage on the hourly wages of women and men affected by the minimum wage have been similar on average. However, women are more frequently employed in the minimum wage sector than men and therefore benefit from it more often. Reductions in working hours due to the introduction of minimum wage were lower for women than for men in the short term. Minimum wage did not have a significant effect on employment for women or men and therefore contributes to reducing pay inequality by gender.