As in other countries, women earn less before tax in Latvia and the difference between the sexes has grown since the beginning of this century.
In 2015 women's average salary before taxes was 16.2% less than men's, an increase of 0.8% over 2014.
According to the statistics office, many women work in industries with a lower salary - the hospitality industry, food, art and entertainment, trade, and healthcare and social care.
The finance sector however is an exception, as it has the highest salaries and a high (74.3%) proportion of women workers, but they earn 37.8% less than men in the sector.
However in the state sector where the proportion of men and women is almost equal, women's salaries are 3.1% higher.
Women also earn higher in the construction sector where they make up only 10% of all employees.
However concerning hourly wages a slightly different picture emerges, with women earning 12.8% less than men per hour worked. This is lower than the EU average.
In 2014, in households where men earned the most the average monthly income amounted to €412.3 per family member but the figure was only €355.6 per family member in households where the main earners were women.
While the average monthly expenses in households where men earned the highest salary were €314.29 and €317.76 for households where the main earners were women.
