Jessica Gee

JAMM 121
4/21/2016
Men still earn more in the female dominated-field of paralegals
A recent occupational study shows men are paid more in the female-dominated paralegal field.
The wage gap in the United States should come as no shock, as many occupations display
unequal salaries depending on gender, race and ethnicity. In the data collected from lawyers on a
national level that statistics show white men have an advantage when it comes to compensation.
In Table 1, the data show the average earnings between male and female lawyers. It displays
male lawyers earn 22 percent more than women in the United States.
Table 1:

Average Earnings of Lawyers

Women
Men
$0

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

The data also showed 73 percent of lawyers are men while 27 percent are women.
On the other hand, 86 percent of paralegals are women while the remaining 14 percent are men.
One might think since the tables are turned, that women would be making more money in this
field.
However, men still make 12 percent more on average than women paralegals. In Table 2 the data
shows men make $4,548 more than women.
Table 2:

Average Earnings of Paralegals

women
Men
32000 33000 34000 35000 36000 37000 38000 39000 40000
Column1

These results show gender still plays a large role in salaries in the legal profession. There are still
uncertainties when considering why men are still paid more on average in a field that has long
been dominated by women.