Something for the weekend: As many as 90% of jobs held by Mattel’s Barbie dolls pay men more, according to research by Money.co.uk.
Money.co.uk analysed 59 roles held by different Barbie dolls against 2022 median full-time pay data from the UK Office for National Statistics and US Bureau of Labour Statistics, to calculate the earning disparity if Ken dolls were in the same job.
It found that only six of the roles (10%) showed females to earn more than their male counterparts and that in the UK, Barbie’s lifetime salary across the 59 roles would total £45.4 million, whereas Ken would earn £49.5 million. Four out of five of Barbie’s highest-paying roles sit within the science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) industries, however, none of these pay female employees more than males.
The top pay disparity in higher-paying roles is that of a judge, with men being paid 31% more than women, equating to £19,470 more on average. Among the lowest-paying roles, park ranger Barbie would see the greatest difference, with men earning on average £4,700 (21.1%) more than women in the same role.
Lucinda O’Brien, business bank account expert at Money.co.uk, said: “Children’s career aspirations have long been defined by gender stereotypes; it’s, therefore, refreshing and positive to see Barbie working a whole variety of jobs in the latest live action Barbie movie. However, even with Barbie working across a wide variety of job sectors in recent years representing females in largely male dominated positions, women continue to be misrepresented in the working world. Although there are current laws in place ensuring equal pay, the data still reveals men continue to be favoured in the workplace. More measurable steps need to be taken to re-address this balance.”
It turns out that even when living in Barbie’s world, there is no escaping the gender pay gap! Life in plastic seems to be more fantastic than reality.