Based on weekly earnings data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the gap has narrowed over time. That is, women's weekly earnings were There has been some progress over the years, and in the third quarter of women's weekly earnings were Overall, women who were full-time, year-round employees made That means women are paid In Wyoming, for instance, the gender pay gap is That is, median earnings of women who in this state make In 33 states, the gender pay gap is larger than the national average.
Most states have implemented laws against gender discrimination , and the Civil Rights Act protects women at the federal level, yet disparities persist.
Around the US, salaries in large cities show an even greater range of pay discrepancy between men and women. The American Association of University Women , a nonprofit that advocates for gender equality, examined how much women earn compared to men in 25 major metro areas using US Census data from the American Community Survey.
Out of the 25 cities, the narrowest gender wage gap overall is in Los Angeles, where women make approximately That translates to a pay gap of Black and Hispanic women are most affected by the wage gap, especially when compared to non-Hispanic white men, who make up the largest demographic segment of the workforce.
We looked at the wage gap for different racial and ethnic groups using median earnings data for full-time, year-round workers from the US Census Bureau's 1-year American Community Survey. Asian women face the smallest wage gap — they earn Non-Hispanic white women earn When compared to Black men, Black women earn The larger disparity between non-Hispanic white men's and women of color's earnings could be attributed to the fact that "women of color suffer both because of their gender and their race," according to an April report released by the Senate Joint Economic Committee's Democratic Staff.
It is important to note that many of these factors can be directly and indirectly influenced by discrimination based on gender and race or ethnicity.
For example, societal and structural sexism often influences the jobs that women work in, and those same forces mean that women most often take on the majority of the caregiving, housework, and other unpaid responsibilities that men do not. So while experts have attributed the estimated 38 percent 16 of the wage gap that is not explained by traditional measurable factors—such as hours worked and years of experience—to the effects of discrimination, it must be understood that discrimination likely affects more than just 38 percent of the wage gap.
The most frequent way of discussing the wage gap, in terms of dollars and cents, may unintentionally obscure the real impact on working women and their families. An even larger consideration is the cumulative impact of the gender wage gap on all women working full time in the United States.
The gender wage gap is not only complex and nuanced, but it is also stubborn. Without updated and comprehensive equal pay reform, the gender wage gap has only closed by 4 cents in more than a decade. At the current pace, women are not estimated to reach pay parity with men until To begin to close the gender wage gap, women need updated comprehensive equal pay legislation, such as the Paycheck Fairness Act, 23 that will strengthen existing protections and further combat discriminatory practices.
Other robust work-family policies are also essential to truly combating the multifaceted gender wage gap so that women—who disproportionately assume much of the caregiving responsibilities in their families—are not unfairly disadvantaged by taking time to address care needs.
For example, access to paid sick days and a comprehensive paid family and medical leave program are just two of the essential policies that would help minimize job loss and ensure better economic security for all workers.
Only by enacting essential policies and shifting cultural attitudes can the United States begin to dismantle the patriarchal structures that systematically disadvantage and shortchange women and their families. Inequality of treatment marks virtually all aspects of women's working lives, beginning with wages and employment opportunities and extending to access to decision-making and managerial positions.
In addition, while more women work outside the home, a greater percentage of women than ever before act as the sole breadwinners for their families, contributing to the feminization of poverty. Other trends illustrate the persistence of the obstacles faced by women in the workplace:. Women's employment is primarily concentrated in a narrow range of sectors especially services, where access to jobs is easier but wages are often lower and job security minimal.
Even within those sectors, women find themselves clustered at the lower echelons. Women make up a greater percentage of workers in "informal" and other precarious forms of employment, which tend to lie outside the purview of labour regulations and inspection, and are therefore more prone to exploitation. A very high percentage of women in developing countries work in the informal sector. These jobs do not provide the benefits of full-time work in the formal sector including steady wages, adequate occupational health and safety conditions, job security and social protection.
In the absence of policy measures to improve earning and employment opportunities for women, there is little evidence that the situation will improve soon. The main reason that women hold part-time jobs: they cannot find full-time jobs. Child care and work in the home are the other main factors. Part-time or full-time, women's jobs are often the least secure. The higher rates of unemployment seen by women and people of color only worsen the gender and racial pay gaps.
In addition, those unemployed for longer periods face larger unemployment penalties. Someone who was unemployed for more than a year experiences a 7. BLS Unemployment Rates in The uncontrolled pay gap widens among laid off workers. In fact, we found that respondents who reported being laid off at some point during the COVID crisis saw larger pay gaps compared to those who were not laid off.
In other words, unemployed men who returned to the workforce saw higher job offers than unemployed women returning to the workforce. Rather than layoffs, some organizations might have turned to pay cuts. Those with decreased pay saw larger pay gaps. The uncontrolled pay gap widens among workers with decreased pay. Women also tend to move up the career ladder at a slower pace than men. We call this phenomenon the opportunity gap. For example, a roughly equal percentage of men and women begin their careers as individual contributors, i.
In , 75 percent of men and 76 percent of women ages 20 to 29 are in individual contributor roles. However, by age 30 to 44, 36 percent of men became supervisors or managers while only 30 percent of women did. Finally, men are much more likely to be directors or executives than women by age 45 or older. A total of 7 percent of women make it into an executive level role at any time of their lives while 12 percent of men do.
The opportunity gap widens as women progress through their career. Assumptions about what kinds of work women are best suited for is often based on gender norms and can preemptively funnel women into lower-level and lower-paid positions.
The most predominant gender norm is that women are meant to have children and will eventually become mothers and homemakers whether or not they actually do or want to , which can also result in assumptions about their proficiency, productivity levels, or commitment to their careers. Women who return to the workforce after having children are also shown to incur a wage penalty. This is the motherhood penality or the childbearing penalty.
Some research suggests that having a child or having the potential to bear children is the primary or true cause for the gender wage gap. Indeed, a study commissioned by Bright Horizons and published in found that 41 percent of employed Americans perceive working moms to be less devoted to their work and a third judged them for needing a more flexible schedule. Men, conversely, do not experience a penalty in compensation after becoming parents. Some men are paid more after having children.
How does your pay compare? Race and gender still limit opportunities to advance. We also looked at the opportunity gap by race and found that most women of color are more likely to stagnate in their careers than white women. Women across all races were more represented in the individual contributor group than white men. Sixty-six percent of Black or African American women and 67 percent of Hispanic women are individual contributors compared to 62 percent of white women, suggesting that Black or African American women and Hispanic women have a harder time climbing the corporate ladder than white women.
For comparison, 59 percent of white men in our sample are individual contributors, which is up one percent from last year. The opportunity gap offers a key insight into workplace racial bias and how it plays out in corporate America.
Asian professionals, for example, lag dramatically behind other groups in attaining leadership roles despite higher earnings in general. Asian women are most likely to be individual contributors at 73 percent. Although Asian women are closer to pay equity with white men than white women overall, only two percent of Asian women make it to the executive level while four percent of white women did.
From these metrics, it stands to reason that Asian workers are often perceived as highly capable and end up earning higher pay yet face other unfair perceptions that dissuade promotions. Indeed, race is consistently shown to have a high influence in getting call backs or interviews or a job.
Racial bias can also occur in employee referrals and performance reviews, other factors that influence receiving promotions or job offers.
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