Gender Pay Gap in the Gaming Industry

Today, the gaming industry is very modern and dynamic. Here you will find new technologies for creating new games that stimulate gamers’ interest. We have seen enough evidence to believe that games are not just for fun and entertainment, but rather they boost confidence and help treat mental health patients. Along the way, the gaming industry has resolved many obstacles like linguistic and cultural ones. These obstacles were sorted through gaming translation services, which translated games and their different areas as per the demands of the target audiences. Despite being a modern and revolutionary industry, there are still some setbacks in this industry. One of the major setbacks is the gender pay gap, the difference in the wages of men and women.

This pay gap issue is the result of many factors among which gender stereotypes are the most prominent one. It is just assumed that women can't do certain things and men are labeled as “being born with such qualities”. However, now these stereotypes are not present in a vast number but still pose a threat which creates situations like the gender pay gap.

The Suffocating Grip of the Gender Pay Gap

The gender pay gap has an intoxicating grip on our society. In 2022, women were earning 82 cents for every dollar earned by men in the United States. While in 2002, these 82 cents were reduced to 80 to the dollar. It took two decades to increase the number by only 2%. Yes, there is success but the rate is too low and slow. While in 1986, women were just able to earn 86 cents in contrast to the dollar earned by men. It wouldn't be wrong to say that after 2 more decades, we will reach parity if this is the pace.

One more thing to know here is that the gender pay gap enhances with age. It means that if women ages 25 to 37 earn 90% of what men are earning, then after 10 to 12 years these women earn 84% of the men despite the age similarity. According to research from LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company named “Women in the Workplace” for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 85 women are promoted, and the gap is even larger for women of color.

Gender Pay Gap in Game Development

We know how multilingual software translation services overcome linguistic barriers so that gamers can have a diversified gaming experience. This technical work can be done by both men and women which sums up that the gaming industry needs to work on their workforce which will later increase wage parity in the industry. Game development is very technical work that requires respective gaming skills. Here developers work on different parts of the games to make them appealing and attractive to audiences. It increases game downloads and takes them into the global world.

Each part of game development is complex in itself. Programmers are responsible for creating the core engine and dealing with the mechanics of the game while sound crafters add voices and music to the game. Artists design the visuals and characters and writers give a storyline to the game. In the end, it is the job of the testers and quality assurance department to ensure everything works smoothly.

Understanding the Root Causes

It is important to find the root causes in order to understand what causes differences in men's and women’s earnings in game development.

Underrepresentation in STEM Fields

In the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, women are underrepresented. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), only 26% of bachelor's degrees in computer science were awarded to women from 2020-2021.

Less Leading Roles By Women

A study by Accenture, an IT company, shows that 35% of women make up to entry-level positions and among that 35% only 20% go to senior-level roles such as Manager. It shows that something does happen that pushes these 35% of women to discouragement and they won't go up to their true potential.

Male Dominant Industry

Wherever you hear about the gaming industry, it surely is a male-dominated industry. According to the stats, almost 70% of the people working in the gaming industry are male figures. However, if we talk about the gaming scenario, half of the gamers are females. So it showcases that it is about something other than competency or caliber because both of these factors are equal in both genders.

Also, there is this “bro culture”, which includes inappropriate jokes between male colleagues. It feels unwelcoming to women which creates a hostile work environment for them.

Creating Equality in Pays

It is important to create a wage parity system that encourages women to showcase their skills without having the fear of being paid less than men. Gaming translation services have already made it easy for global audiences to understand games. Now it is the job of gaming companies to show how they value their female task force by taking measures that solely benefit them and give them the confidence to work as developers just like their male colleagues.

Encouraging the Female Population in STEM Fields

Women should be encouraged in STEM so that they can hold their stance in their respective fields. Programs like Girls Who Code and Girls in Tech involve workshops where women are shown career opportunities so that they can excel in game development.

Final Words!

To sum up, the gender pay gap can hinder women from showing their full potential as a game developer. Their underrepresentation in the tech industry because of bro culture and giving them fewer leading roles are the reasons behind pay gaps. It is important to encourage the female workforce so that they can excel in the field.