Gender Pay Gap Statistics (2020)
- Noel Griffith, Ph.D.
- Last Updated on March 10, 2020
Unfortunately, not all is equal in the professional world. Despite major improvements in recent years, there is still a gender pay gap that negatively affects women.
Given how important this issue is, we put together this list of the 25 most important gender pay gap statistics of 2020 that your business needs to know.
A quick note: when people talk about the “gender pay gap” they are most often referring to three disparities that are closely linked:
- Disparities in Payment;
- Disparities in Employment;
- Disparities in Education;
All three of these factors contribute to the gender pay gap and we will note some statistics from each category.
Gender Payment Gap Statistics
1. Women Earn 79 Cents for Every Dollar Men Earn
Let’s start with a commonly cited statistic. Averaging the gross income for all women and men in the county, women on average earn 79 cents for every dollar a man makes.
This figure does not control for education and qualifications [1].
2. When Controlling for Specific Employment and Qualifications, Men and Women Make About the Same
The previous figure did not take into account the specific jobs and qualifications of men and women.
When controlling for these two variables, the gender pay gap shrinks to about 98 cents for women per every dollar men make. That is still a gap but much less than the uncontrolled figure [1]
3. The Gender Pay Gap Has Shrunk in the Past 40 Years
In 1979 the median salary for women was 62% of the median salary for men. As of 2018, women’s median earnings were now 81% of men’s median earnings.
That is a good sign but there is still more progress to be made on that front [2]
4. But the Rate of Shrinking Has Stalled in the Past 15 Years
Even though the gender pay gap has substantially decreased in the past 20 years, this rate of decrease has stalled in the past 15 years.
Women’s median earnings have hovered around 80% of men’s since about 2004 [2]
5. Utah Has the Highest Current Gender Pay Gap
As of 2018, Utah is the state with the most significant uncontrolled pay gap.
Women in Utah have a median income that is 57% of the median earnings of men. Washington D.C. has the lowest gender pay gap at 89% [2].
6. The Gender Pay Gap Is Relatively Small Between Single Men and Single Women
When comparing the median earnings for single men and single women who have no children, single women make about 94% of single men’s median earnings.
This stat reflects the fact that raising children is often a barricade for women’s professional advancement [2]
Read more: https://careerswiki.com/publications/gender-pay-gap-statistics/
