Accounting has large freelancer gender pay gap

The finance and accounting sector has the largest freelancer gender pay gap of any major work category, according to a new global study.

The study, released last week by Remitly for Freelancers, found that women working in freelance finance and accounting roles charge an average of 26.1% less per hour than men globally, the widest gap among the ten major industries included in the study.

For the report, researchers analyzed hourly rates from more than 58,000 freelancers across major work categories on Upwork, an online freelance marketplace. Overall, women in freelance finance and accounting charge an average of $30.77 per hour, compared to $41.61 per hour for men.

The study also calculated a Finance & Accounting Freelancer Equal Pay Day of April 5, meaning women effectively work the first 95 days of the year "for free" compared to their male counterparts.

Accounts payable managers face the biggest gap in the sector, with women charging 35.3% less than men. Women bookkeepers charge 24.4% less than men on average. Female management consultants charge 22.8% less than males. Women accountants charge 22.4% less than men.

Fundraising consultants, however, achieved near pay parity, with women charging slightly more (0.4%) than men on average.