Male Freelance Photographers Earn 26% More Than Female Peers in US
Male photographers earn around $25 more per hour on average than their female peers in the U.S., according to new research.
In a new report compiled by OnDeck, data analysts analyzed the hourly rate charged by 9,078 U.S.-based freelancers on Upwork with over 100 billed hours to reveal the gender pay gap in America’s freelancing industry.
Ondeck then calculated the difference between hourly rates for male and female freelancers by U.S. state, overall, as well as in different work categories.
The report by Ondeck found that male freelancers charge 26.4% more than female freelancers on average in the U.S.
In the U.S., the average male freelancer charges $75.44 per hour, which is $15.74 more than the female rate of $59.70.
The Ondeck study found that men in the “design and creative sector” make the most money in local photography, charging $100.50 per hour on average, while women receive only $75.41 — a $25.09 difference.
However, Female Videographers Earn More Than Men
However, interestingly, women earn considerably more per hour as freelance videographers than their male peers in the U.S.
According to the report by Ondeck, female videographers take the lead charging around $121.67 per hour while men make $74.25, translating into a $47.42 difference.
The data analysts at Ondeck believe that there is a disparity in the hourly rates that favor male photographers in the U.S. partly because stills photography is an older art compared to videography.
As a result, Ondeck says that “the misconception that it’s a man’s job is more deeply ingrained” in the photography industry compared to the newer art of videography.
“I wasn’t introduced to any historical female photographers such as Anna Atkins at university,” a female photography graduate tells Ondeck.
“For historical research, we primarily focused on male photographers such as Ansel Adams, Walker Evans, Robert Capa, [and] Robert Frank.”
Male Freelancers Charge More in Every State Except Delaware
According to the report by Ondeck, male freelancers in all but one state charge more than their female neighbors across all categories surveyed, and in 41 states, men charge more than $10 per hour more than women on average.
The biggest disparity of all is in the state of Wyoming, where the average male freelancer charges $86.09, an astonishing $55.89 or 185% more than the average female rate of $30.20 per hour.
The study found that Delaware is the only state where female freelancers earn more ($66.33) than their male counterparts ($52.50).
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
