Racial, gender wage gaps persist in U.S. despite some progress (2023)

FAQs

Has the gender pay gap in the US held steady? ›

The gender gap in pay has remained relatively stable in the United States over the past 20 years or so. In 2022, women earned an average of 82% of what men earned, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers.

Flexibility vs.

While many factors contribute to the gender wage gap, including discriminatory practices, research suggests that time away from employment, occupational clustering, and the time demands of jobs explain much of the difference in wages between men and women.

There are a multitude of factors that may contribute to earnings differences between women and men: age, number of hours worked, presence of children, and education.

Though the gender wage gap probably dates to the beginnings of civilization, it emerged as a political issue in the U.S. in the 1860s under the rallying cry of “Equal Pay for Equal Work.”

Median pay for all employees was 14.9% less for women than for men in April 2022. The full-time pay gap has been getting smaller since 1997 and the overall pay gap has also decreased over the period. The part-time pay gap has generally remained small and negative, with women earning more than men on average.

For the economy as a whole, in 2021, women's gross hourly earnings were on average 12.7 % below those of men in the European Union (EU) and 13.6 % in the euro area. Across EU Member States, the gender pay gap varied by 20.7 percentage points, ranging from -0.2 % in Luxembourg to 20.5 % in Estonia (Figure 1).

The largest identifiable causes of the gender wage gap are differences in the occupations and industries where women and men are most likely to work.

Consequences of the Gender Pay Gap. Lower pay makes it harder for women, especially single women, to get ahead financially. Their lower earnings make it harder for them to save money for emergencies or retirement.

Is gender pay gap an ethical issue? ›

What is the ethical issue? The gender pay gap represents embedded discrimination, stereotypes and barriers in opportunities for women. To much of the public, the gap's existence in business is a problem that needs rectifying.

What is gender inequality? Gender inequality is discrimination on the basis of sex or gender causing one sex or gender to be routinely privileged or prioritized over another. Gender equality is a fundamental human right and that right is violated by gender-based discrimination.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 proscribes gender-based pay discrimination among employees within the same establishment who do "substantially equal" work.

Because of this, we have what is called a negative pay gap, or a reverse pay gap, which means that women average higher pay than men, in the organization as a whole, and in five of the six countries we analyzed.

Iceland has once again been named the most gender equal country, topping the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2022.

Opportunity inequity

Another cause of the pay gap is unequal access to opportunities. When underrepresented groups of employees don't have equal access to jobs, promotions, opportunities to collaborate on certain projects, and other forms of advancement, it hinders their chances of moving into higher-paying roles.

The gender wage gap

Women, on average, were paid 20.3% less than men in 2019. By 2022, that gap widened to 22.2%. Similarly, the regression-adjusted wage gap, which has been stagnant for most of the last 20+ years, widened slightly from 22.6% to 22.9%.

Women who earn a lower income for the same work are more likely to suffer from mood disorders including depression and anxiety. Larger gaps in pay and gender inequities are also associated with worse mortality outcomes, poorer self-rated health, and increased disability.

2-What are some examples of pay discrimination? Pay discrimination occurs when an employee is paid differently from others because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, disability, age (40 or older), or genetic information.

How can we ensure pay cultures are equitable? ›

Publish and gain commitment for employee performance criteria. Offer Training and Other Accommodations: Offer management training, skills training, or other learning opportunities to all employees so that both women and men have the same opportunities for promotions. Support training programs for women in the trades.

Four key themes reveal how gender inequalities cut across different social spheres: power, rights, work-life balance and gender-based violence.

Stark gender disparities remain in economic and political realms. While there has been some progress over the decades, on average women in the labour market still earn 20 per cent less than men globally. As of 2021, only 25 per cent of all national parliamentarians were female, a slow rise from 11.3 per cent in 1995.

According to UN Women's most recent report, at the current rate of progress, it will take 286 years for the world to achieve gender equality. Per the World Economic Forum it will take another 132 years to close the global gender gap.

The major examples of social inequality include income gap, gender inequality, health care, and social class.

What are the effects of gender inequality in society? ›

With the prevalence of gender discrimination, and social norms and practices, girls become exposed to the possibility of child marriage, teenage pregnancy, child domestic work, poor education and health, sexual abuse, exploitation and violence.

Gender equality prevents violence against women and girls

men's control of decision-making and limits to women's independence. rigid gender roles and stereotypes. male relationships that emphasise aggression and disrespect towards women.

Below are the states with the biggest wage gaps between men and women in 2021: Wyoming: Women who worked full-time made 68 cents for every dollar a man made.

Essential points. Men and women in the same employment, performing equal work, are entitled to equal pay under the Equality Act 2010 unless a pay difference can be justified.

The law has been weakened by loopholes, inadequate remedies, and adverse court rulings, resulting in protection that is far less effective than Congress originally intended.

For every dollar paid to White, non-Latino men, White non-Latina women are paid 77 cents; Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women are paid 75 cents; Black women are paid 64 cents; Latina women are paid 54 cents and Native American women are paid 51 cents.

The "adjusted" or "unexplained" pay gap (often referred to as the equal pay gap) is measured by regression analysis. This analysis calculates the difference in pay between women and men after accounting for the factors that determine pay, like job role, education, and experience.

Differences in earnings can be due to a range of factors, such as variation in a state's economy and labor force. Connecticut had the smallest pay gap of all states in 2020, with women earning 97 cents to men's dollar, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

What is the gender pay gap in US healthcare? ›

For every dollar a man earns, a woman earns only 74 cents. This translates to between $0.9 million and $2.5 million less in career earnings for women physicians compared to men, depending on the type of medicine practiced.

For example, among workers who were self-employed in their own incorporated business, women earned an estimated 69 cents for every dollar earned by men (a pay gap of 31 cents on the dollar).

Women's labor is undervalued. Most of the disparity in women and men's pay cannot be explained by measurable differences between them. Out of the causes of the wage gap that we can measure, the main contributor is that women are more likely than men to work in low-paying jobs that offer fewer benefits. Education.

Equal Pay/Compensation and Sex Discrimination

Title VII also makes it illegal to discriminate based on sex in pay and benefits. Therefore, someone who has an Equal Pay Act claim may also have a claim under Title VII.

2-What are some examples of pay discrimination? Pay discrimination occurs when an employee is paid differently from others because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, disability, age (40 or older), or genetic information.