14 Disappointing Stats That Uncover The Reality Of The Gender Pay Gap in the U.S.

In the past few years, we have all come across different viewpoints about the well-known gender pay gap. While some people firmly believe it exists, others state those claiming women earn less than men have no idea of what they are talking about. Understanding this phenomenon by consulting trustworthy sources is the only way to get a truthful idea of what’s happening in the US and determine whether injustices still occur in our country. Here are key insights about the gender pay gap inspired by the 2023 Gender Wage Gap Study conducted by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

The Gender Pay Gap

Let’s start with the most obvious study: the general pay gap between men and women in America. According to the Economic Policy Institute, women are paid about 21.8 percent less than men for the same work. In other words, for every dollar a man gets paid, a woman would get paid about 78 cents.

Sadly, this wage gap has remained fairly static for the past 20 to 25 years.

Not Entirely Even

However, the wage gap is not entirely standard across the board. Women who are in very low-paying jobs (such as cleaners, delivery women, or pet sitting) are closer to gender pay parity than women in higher-paid positions. Women in the bottom 10th percentile of income earners earned an average of $12.69 per hour. Men in that same percentile earned $14.55.

That’s roughly a 12.8 percent pay gap rather than the “standard” 21 percent.

Middle-Class Woes

If you are a middle-class worker (such as a marketing administrator, a woman in sales, or similar), you might feel the sting a little more. Middle-class women in the 40th to 60th percentile of income earners earned $22.05 per hour, compared to men’s average of $25.92.

High-Income Hurts

Let’s say that you’re a software engineer, doctor, or lawyer. You’ll feel the wage gap even more. Women in the upper 90th percentile earned $50.52 per hour compared to men’s $65.26. That is more than 22 percent less. As it turns out, that income gap just gets more noticeable the higher you go.

Higher Education, Higher Gap

Did it ever feel like work is mostly an Old Boys Club? You might be onto something there. The study also revealed that the wage gap increases the level of educational attainment. Women with an advanced degree earn $48.21 on average, while men with the same degree snag $64.49. That’s an almost 20-dollar difference!

College Loan Sorrows

It seems particularly cruel that even regular college degrees can’t protect women against the wage gap. A typical college graduate will earn $29.51 if he’s male but only $22.83 if she’s female. That’s an annual loss of about $14,000, despite doing the same work.

Racism Makes It Worse

There is a massive racial disparity when it comes to wages that comes alongside the gender gap. Black women earn 69.8 percent of a typical white man’s wage. If you’re Hispanic, that wage drops even more. For every $100 a white man will earn, a typical Latina will earn $64.60.

The Closest To Parity?

Studies also discovered something interesting about race. White women were not the race closest to gender parity. A typical Asian woman will earn 90.3% of what a white man would attain. This makes Asian women not only the highest paid, but the most likely race to attain gender equality in the working world.

Controlling For Everything

With all these factors, it comes as no surprise to anyone that there needs to be control over the statistics. Statisticians did this. Even when accounting for age, race, geographic location, and everything else, women earned less. Black and Hispanic women earned, on average, 68 percent of what a typical white man would earn.

No Normal Job Is Exempt

The gender pay gap exists in almost every industry, from healthcare to writing. The only industry with a reverse pay gap is modeling since women tend to be the focal point of most runways and calendar shoots.

Why Is This Happening?

There’s a lot of excuses given by the mainstream world over why women aren’t paid equal to men. While some might have some grounding in reality, such as the time taken away from work to be a mom, the truth is there isn’t a good reason to pay women less. Women work just as hard as men, if not harder.

Changing Laws

Are you tired of the status quo? Do you want to see a change in your paycheck? Waiting for employers to have a change of heart is not going to work. You’re going to have to vote for candidates who actually are dedicated to worker protections. Use that power in the voting booth!

Not The Only Form Of Discrimination

Unfortunately, the gender pay gap is not the only form of discrimination that women face at work. For instance, women are way more likely to be asked inappropriate questions during their job interview, such as whether or not they are in a committed relationship and plan to have kids shortly. This is because employers don’t want to hire women who may soon leave their jobs temporarily due to pregnancy, despite the US being one of the worst countries when it comes to maternal leave policies.

Why It Matters

Achieving gender equality in all aspects of work is crucial to creating better equality. Women deserve to be paid just as much as men and must be given extra rights concerning specific aspects of womanhood, such as maternity and menstrual leave. Only by advocating for more equal workspaces can we help the many women still facing injustice today.

This article was inspired by the 2023 Gender Wage Gap Study from the EPI.