Gender pay gap persists in influencer marketing despite female dominance in industry

A new report on influencer marketing reveals a persistent and concerning gender pay gap in the creator economy, with women earning significantly less than their male counterparts across major content platforms. Despite women making up 70% of the influencer marketing space, female-identifying creators earn an average of 32% less per collaboration than men—an imbalance that appears most stark in the gaming sector.

The data, pulled from Collabstr’s 2025 report analyzing over 262,000 influencer packages and more than 15,000 brand collaborations, shows that male influencers earn about $83 more per collaboration than female influencers. This translates to male creators being paid roughly 40% more on average, despite women dominating the field numerically.

In the gaming vertical alone, where content monetization through sponsorships is a cornerstone of income, male gaming influencers average $234 per collaboration, while female influencers bring in just $160. That’s a 32% pay gap, based on data from 2,414 creators. The gap narrows slightly on Twitch—one of the most active gaming platforms—but remains significant, with women earning 27% less.

“The gender disparity for gaming influencers on platforms like YouTube or Twitch is much less than on TikTok or Instagram,” said Kyle Dulay, co-founder of Collabstr. “This could be due to the niche focus many male gamers have. They often exclusively showcase gameplay, while female creators might blend their gaming content with lifestyle topics like fashion or vlogs, which brands may value differently.”

This difference in content verticals may partly explain the pricing gap. Male creators’ hyper-focused content niches allow them to command higher fees, while women—often labeled as “influencers” rather than “content creators”—may face stereotypes that undervalue their contributions. The terms carry weight: “influencer” suggests passivity, while “content creator” implies skill, originality, and production.

Moreover, the influx of new creators in the space is driving down average prices across the board. In 2025, brands are spending an average of $202 per collaboration—down from $214 in the previous year. Despite this, the creator economy is booming, projected to grow from $191 billion this year to over $528 billion by 2030, with a 22.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

Among the various content platforms, YouTube commands the highest asking price at $675.23 per collaboration, followed by Instagram ($363.64) and TikTok ($350.06). Twitch sits further down the list with an average price of $237.72. Notably, user-generated content (UGC)—content created by everyday users rather than high-profile influencers—has seen a significant uptick in popularity, now accounting for 15% of influencer campaigns. UGC is also the most standardized in pricing, with only a 10.29% discrepancy between asking and actual paid prices.

Still, gender disparities remain consistent even within micro-influencer tiers, where women outnumber men by a wide margin. On Instagram and TikTok, for example, 78% of influencers are women. But as follower counts grow, the gender gap in pay narrows. At higher influencer tiers, brand decisions seem to lean more on ROI and reach than on gender, suggesting performance metrics begin to overshadow bias at scale.

Despite female dominance in numbers and engagement—especially in beauty, lifestyle, and wellness niches—systemic undervaluation persists. Industry observers believe this reflects broader market behaviors rather than just supply and demand. Women may also be more likely to underprice themselves, consciously or not, contributing to the gap.

Interestingly, LGBTQ+ creators now lead in average earnings at $316.78 per collaboration, followed by comedy and vegan content creators. This signals a shift toward inclusivity and authenticity, which resonates deeply with audiences and brands alike.

As the influencer landscape matures, experts believe that bridging the gender pay gap will require greater awareness, platform-level support, and transparent pricing standards. While platforms like Twitch are showing progress, the road to equity remains long.