The line graph illustrates the differences in revenue between males and females from 1978 to 2008.
In summary, Japan consistently had the largest wage gap between the two genders throughout this period. Meanwhile, Australia experienced the smallest wage gap between 1978 and 1998, surpassing France to become the country with the second smallest disparity in earnings between men and women in the later years.
In 1978, Japan displayed the most significant gap in earnings between men and women, at approximately 50%. In comparison, both the United States and the United Kingdom had about a 30% difference in earnings. France and Australia reported a less pronounced gap in income, with figures around 20%.
From 1978 to 2008, Japan experienced a steady decline in income disparity, decreasing to about 40% by 2008. In contrast, Australia maintained a plateau between 1978 and 1998 but saw a dramatic increase thereafter, rising from around 20% to 25%, thus surpassing France’s position by 2008. The United States, France, and the United Kingdom all exhibited a slight reduction in income disparity, with the United States and the United Kingdom both at approximately 30%, and France around 20% by the end of the period.