Wage disparities for men working full-time in the private sector fell in France between 1967 and 2009, unlike the changes seen in several developed countries. This reduction in wage gaps can be broken down into three factors: the changes in the level of education in the workforce, the wage disparities within groups with the same level of qualifications and experience, and the wage gaps between these groups. It arises from the analysis that the global fall can be attributed to that of the disparities in wages between groups of qualifications and within these, above all for employees with little experience. This fall has however been softened by the increase in the average level of education of the working population. The increase in the minimum wage, the consequences on the fixing of wages of the increased number of graduates, and changes in the bargaining power of employees owing mainly to the heightened risk of unemployment are also factors to explain the decrease in wage inequality.