Women predominate in the population of Moldova, having a higher life expectancy than men. And although they marry earlier, women have a higher level of education. However, the employment rate among women is lower, they work mostly in the services sector. The earnings of female employees are on average 15.5% lower than those of men.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the women to men ratio is 52.7 percent to 47.3 percent, meaning that for every 100 women there are 90 men. This ratio differs by age group and is more pronounced in the population aged 65 and over, where there are 61 men for every 100 women.
Life expectancy at birth in 2022 was 75.7 years for women and 67.1 years for men. Women live an average of 8.6 years longer than men. This difference is due to the higher level of premature mortality of men, especially of working age (16-62 years).
The average age of women at first marriage in 2022 was 26 years, and for men – 29 years. By age group, most men who married for the first time in 2022 were 25-29 years old (33.3%), and in the case of women, first marriages predominated in the 20-24 age group (33.3%).
According to Labor Force Survey, women aged 25-64 have a higher level of education compared to men of the same age. The biggest difference in this age group is recorded for the higher level of education: in 2022, 25.1% of women have reached that level, compared to 19% for men. Men leave the education system earlier than women to enter employment.
Women earned on average 15.5% less than men in 2022 (84.5% of men’s average earnings). In absolute value, the pay gap was 1762.3 lei. Women earn less than men in most economic activities, the biggest differences are recorded in: information and communications – 38.1%, financial and insurance activities –32.5%; health and social assistance – 22.4%.
