The Pew Research Center recently conducted an analysis on the gender pay gap, revealing some concerning findings. According to the analysis, as of 2022, women earned an average of 82% of what men earned. What makes this even more disheartening is that these results are strikingly similar to the gender pay gap analysis conducted in 2002, where women earned around 80% of men’s earnings. This lack of progress over the past two decades is alarming and suggests that the gender pay gap is persistently refusing to close.
The analysis conducted by Pew took into account the wages of both full-time and part-time workers. The stagnation in progress over the past 20 years is particularly significant when considering the substantial advancements made in the 1980s and 1990s. During that time, women’s wages increased by 15 cents, rising from 65% of men’s wages to 80% by 2002.
The lack of substantial progress can be attributed, at least in part, to a society that continues to undervalue women’s work compared to men’s, resulting in an unequal distribution of wealth and power based on gender. It is worth noting that despite the increased levels of education among women, the wage gap persists. In fact, women are now more likely to have graduated from college than men, but this has not translated into a significant reduction in the gender pay gap.
Furthermore, the wage gap is even more pronounced for Hispanic or Latina women, Black women, and disabled women. These groups continue to face larger wage gaps compared to the overall average. However, there is a slight glimmer of hope in that the wage gap for workers aged 25 to 34 is smaller than for the broader age group of workers aged 16 and older. In 2022, women in this age group earned an average of 92 cents for every dollar earned by men.
There are various reasons for the persistent wage gap. One contributing factor is that certain jobs predominantly held by women tend to be undervalued and receive lower compensation compared to male-dominated occupations. Additionally, wealth and power disparities based on gender play a significant role in perpetuating the wage gap. It is also worth noting that there are other factors that are harder to measure, such as biases and discrimination, which may further contribute to the wage gap.
To address this issue, many employers and jurisdictions have initiated or are planning to embark on efforts to achieve pay equity and transparency. These initiatives aim to investigate and dismantle systemic issues that may disadvantage women, racial minorities, and other protected classes in terms of employment and pay equity. By actively addressing these issues, there is hope that the gender pay gap can be gradually reduced and eventually eliminated.
Be Audit-Secure™!
Lisa Smith, SPHR, SCP
Sign-up HERE and Save $170!
Here is what all you will get:
- Boss Calls™ – Access to EVERY Boss Call™ – Past & Future.
- HelpDesk for HR VAULT – Access to all 8 of our proprietary tools and applications to make your workday simple.
- Forms, Docs, Policies and Procedures Library – 700+ samples you can download and edit to fit your needs.
- U.S. ePoster Club – Download state, city, and local posters. Both required & recommended, for all 50 states & D.C.
- Same-day email support – Write to our team of SPHR and SCP professionals with all your HR questions.
