It’s no secret that gender roles and pay gaps are still prevalent in companies around the world, with some celebrities taking massive pay cuts in order to match up with their female counterparts. But have you ever wondered if there’s a similar gender gap for Influencers on Instagram? PostBeyond has analysed the top 100 followed accounts on Instagram and can reveal the pay gap as well as the salary each influencer gets paid for a post. You can view the full piece here.
The gender split between male and female influencers is in favour of female influencers by over 15%. From the top 100 influencers on Instagram, 52% are female and 36% are male, with 12% accounting for brand accounts. The earnings of these influencers is also split in favour of females, with female influencers earning an average of $48,500 per post, whilst male influencers are earning an average of $39,000.
Different categories on Instagram also have a surprising gender split, with the beauty category having the biggest gender gap. A massive 89% of the accounts in the beauty category belong to female influencers, whilst male influencers account for just 5%. Fashion and modelling both have a similar gender gap, with female influencers dominating the categories on Instagram.
From the table below, you can see that the gender pay gap in the top two categories between male and female influencers is small. However, female music influencers are paid the most, with a staggering average of $113,000 per post. The brands that earn the most are fitness and gym, with an average earning of $120,000 per post. The cars and motorbike category is the most equal, with an earning of $6,000 per post each for both female and male influencers.
| Category / Gender | Female | Male | Brand |
| Art/Artists | $47,000 | $48,000 | N/A |
| Beauty | $36,000 | $34,000 | $77,000 |
| Business & Careers | $16,000 | $27,000 | $10,000 |
| Cars & Motorbikes | $6,000 | $6,000 | $17,500 |
| Cinema & Actors | $105,000 | $87,000 | $55,000 |
| Family | $22,000 | $43,000 | $16,500 |
| Fashion | $50,000 | $33,000 | $108,000 |
| Fitness & Gym | $16,000 | $42,000 | $120,000 |
| Food & Cooking | $7,000 | $10,000 | $18,000 |
| Modeling | $69,000 | $41,000 | N/A |
| Music | $113,000 | $77,000 | $34,000 |
| Travel | $16,000 | $12,000 | $21,000 |
It’s clear to see that even in a role such as being an influencer on Instagram – a modern and inclusive platform – there is still a way to go to limit the gender and pay gaps between influencers and brands.
