ELECTRICIANS and motor mechanics may be professions dominated by men but there's money to be made if you are a woman.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows there are a number of jobs where women earn more than men on average, and they are not necessarily in female-dominated industries.

Truck drivers, bookkeepers, dentists, psychologists and generalist medical practitioners all made the list.

In many cases, women are in the minority but the ones who do work in the profession are extremely passionate and excel in their field.

James Tinslay, CEO of the National Electrical and Communications Association, said the industry does not get a high number of female electrician apprentices.

"There's no two ways about it, it's a very male dominated industry. But when we have had females they tend to be overachievers."

Greg Hatton, deputy CEO of the Motor Traders' Association of NSW, said female motor mechanics often move into specialised work.

"They do part interpreter work or it's more and more common you'll see female technicians move into service advisory," said Mr Hatton.

"They're areas where they're doing a few more hours to pick up overtime."

Dr Liz Marles, president of the Royal Australia College of General Practitioners, said generalist medical practitioners should not be confused with GPs.

"They will mostly be hospital doctors and doctors still in training, they haven't yet got a specialty," Dr Marles said.

But the Australian Dental Association said the data was inconsistent with previous reports which put male earnings ahead of female earnings.

"There may be other reasons within the sample as to the disparity, such as the age cohort of the person sampled could range from inexperienced to experienced. Or they may be employed in a different setting with different employment terms and conditions," an ADA spokeswoman said.

Clare Buttner, spokeswoman for the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, said people should be equally regarded for their work regardless of the occupation they choose.

"While there might be certain jobs or roles where women earn more than men, on the whole in every industry there's a gender pay gap that favours men, and that's the case even in female-dominated industries," Ms Buttner said.

The ABS data compares the average weekly earnings of non-managerial full-time employees.

The list includes jobs where women earn at least 10 per cent more than men on average.

In some cases women work more hours than men which contributes to the higher average wage. But in all cases women are paid at a higher rate per hour.

Domestic cleaners

Men $783

Women $1863.90 (138 per cent more)

Electricians

Men $1560.60

Women $2902.70 (86 per cent more)

Dental hygienists, technicians and therapists

Men $1294.60

Women $1873.50 (45 per cent more)

Paving and surfacing labourers

Men $1322

Women $1922.90 (45 per cent more)

Housekeepers

Men $661

Women $902.50 (37 per cent more)

Structural steel and welding trades workers

Men $1653.30

Women $2156.50 (30 per cent more)

Dental practitioners

Men $2248.30

Women $2879.60 (28 per cent more)

Motor mechanics

Men $1055.20

Women $1340.60 (27 per cent more)

Clothing trades workers

Men $882.70

Women $1100.50 (25 per cent more)

Gallery, library and museum technicians

Men $973.90

Women $1220.10 (25 per cent more)

Truck drivers

Men $1375.60

Women $1724.60 (25 per cent more)

Retail and wool buyers

Men $1228.80

Women $1500 (22 per cent more)

Generalist medical practitioners

Men $2275.70

Women $2742.40 (21 per cent more)

Bookkeepers

Men $1005.70

Women $1197.50 (19 per cent more)

Delivery drivers

Men $1008.60

Women $1196.50 (19 per cent more)

Bus and coach drivers

Men $1133.50

Women $1324.90 (17 per cent more)

Psychologists

Men $1379.30

Women $1593.20 (16 per cent more)

Hairdressers

Men $664.30

Women $758.20 (14 per cent more)

Switchboard operators

Men $906.60

Women $1000 (10 per cent more)

Telemarketers

Men $1037.60

Women $1142.60 (10 per cent more)

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