This paper documents gender disparities in labor earnings for sixty-four countries around the
world. Disparities are partially attributed to gender differences in observable sociodemographic
and job characteristics. These characteristics are used to match males and
females such that gender earnings disparities are computed only among individuals with the
same characteristics, as in Ñopo (2008). After comparing males and females with the same
characteristics we found that the earnings gap falls within a range between 8% and 48% of
average females’ earnings, being more pronounced in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The unexplained earnings gaps are more pronounced among part-time workers and those
with low education.