Gender wage gap very evident in foodservice, study shows

WASHINGTON — The overall gender pay gap has been well-documented, but a new report shows it’s particularly pronounced in the food service industry, where women are being underpaid in just about every job – even when accounting for tips.

The median hourly wage paid to women is less than it is for men in all but one of the 11 jobs surveyed in a report by the Economic Policy Institute. In some cases, the gap is slight – for cashiers, dishwashers, food preparation workers and hosts and hostesses, it’s a matter of cents. But in others, including supervisors and bartenders, the difference is well over a dollar. For managers, the highest earning occupation, the disparity was nearly three dollars per hour.