I have included sub-category breakdown information only when that detail shows significant variance of the experience of women in that category, either compared to the category averages, or within the sub-categories. For example, a category may show a high percentage of women employed in general, but the sub-category detail may show that the majority of the women in that general category are all employed in one or two sub-categories. In another instance, the sub-category median pay for women may vary widely from the median pay associated with the general category.

Median wage is the amount that divides a category's earning distribution into two equal groups: half of the workers in that category make more than that amount, and half of the workers make less than that amount. The median wage is calculated on "usual weekly earnings" - wages and salaries before taxes and other deductions, and include any overtime pay, commissions or tips usually received. Self-employed workers are excluded. The term "usual" is defined to mean more than half the weeks worked during the past 4 or 5 months.