In Bulgaria, women are the predominant part (52%) of the population, but they have a smaller share (47%) in the labor force over the age of 15, as well as in the employed and employed persons. 30% of employers and 57% of unpaid family workers are women, while men predominate among the self-employed.
Statistics show that women are:
- More studious - 62% of persons with higher education and 53% of those who participated in some form of education (formal or informal) in our country are women.
- More hardworking - 56% of the unemployed are men.
Against this background, in Bulgaria women receive an average of 19% lower pay than men, with the only economic sector in which the remuneration for both sexes is the same is "Transport, warehousing and post". The only two economic sectors in which the fairer sex outstrips the stronger sex in terms of pay are "Construction" (11% more) and "Administrative and auxiliary activities" (5% more). The biggest difference in pay is in the sectors "Dissemination of information and creative products; Telecommunications' (where men are paid 22% more) and 'Manufacturing' (19% higher wages for men). The difference in pay is relatively small (2-3%) in the "Energy", "Public Administration" and "Education" sectors. In all other sectors, men are paid 10 or more percent more.
Hierarchically, a higher level of education predetermines a higher share of female specialists, while men predominate in occupations requiring no special qualifications, machine operators and assemblers, and craftsmen. At the same time, 59% of management positions are held by men.
Women predominate in the fields of education, health care, finance and insurance, government, hospitality and catering, research, commerce, culture, sports and entertainment. The least number of women are employed in construction, mining, energy, transport and agriculture.
