More women work in the public sector than in the private sector and women are paid less on average than men, although the wage gap is slightly narrower than in the private sector. Analysis of these wage differences is usually based ona comparison of average hourly wages, without taking structural effects into account, except for differences in working time.This inequality stems partly from the fact that men and women differ in terms of age, seniority and also in the jobs they have or positions reached. To understand these inequalities, we must therefore move from observation of differences in average wages toan analysis of gap components using statistical techniques, whichcould not be donepreviouslywith existing data sources for wages in the public service.All three articles in this editionintegrate a newly-available database (Public Service Employees Information System), which is particularly well-suited due to its comprehensive nature and the reliability of the personal datacollected. This information for the first time enables a detailed analysis of the pay gap between men and women in the public service, taking into account more detailedemployment characteristics. The approaches taken by these three studies, both complementary and very different, highlightvarious aspects of wage inequality in the public service. Despite their differences, it is interesting to note that they converge on several common messages, firstly confirming the extent of the gap between women and men's pay in the public service and,when analysingthese differences, the clear contribution of unequal access for men and women to positions of responsibility.