25+ Troubling Gender Pay Gap Statistics [2023]: Does The U.S. Have Equal Pay?

Research Summary. In the United States, we’ve come a long way since 1920. From the right to vote to the right to work the same jobs as their male counterparts, women have fought on battlefield after battlefield toward the ultimate goal of equality.

However, that doesn’t mean that every battle has been won. Unfortunately, the gender pay gap remains an ongoing issue nationwide, as women are regularly paid less than men in the same line of work. Knowing that, we’ve gathered some of the most compelling gender pay gap statistics to better understand and tackle this ongoing issue:

• Women earn 83.1% of what men earn in the same job in 2022.

• Hispanic women are suffering the most from the gender pay gap, earning only 0.57 cents for every dollar a white man earns.

• Asian women are the only demographic of women who actually earn slightly more than white men, at $1.01 for every dollar the men make.

• Women 65+ suffer the most from the gender pay gap, earning only 74.25% of what their male counterparts earn.

• Women 16-24 are the closest to being equal to their male counterparts, earning 94.11% of what they do.

For further analysis, we broke down the data in the following ways:
Time | Parenting and Motherhood | Demographics | Title | Industry | Location

General Gender Pay Gap Statistics

While we can get an idea of how the gender pay gap affects women by saying they make 83.1% of what men do, it can be hard to grasp just how much that can impact salaries. In general, here are some facts about the gender pay gap in the U.S.:

• The average woman earns $80,000 less over the course of the same 40-year career.

  Even in a completely controlled environment, women earn far less over the lifetime of their careers than their male counterparts. Imagine going to retire and realizing your male co-worker had an extra $80,000 to spare over you.

• The average businessman earns 60% more at the end of his career than the average businesswoman.

  While newly graduated businesswomen make an average of $115,000, men earn $130,000. However, that $15,000 margin widens significantly over time. In fact, after working nine years in the same career, the average woman’s pay rose to $250,000, while the average man’s pay rose to $400,000. That’s a difference of $150,000.

• The uncontrolled gender pay gap is 10.25x worse than the controlled gender pay gap.

  There’s a huge difference between the controlled gender pay gap and the uncontrolled gender pay gap.

  That’s because the controlled gender pay gap only quantifies the average numbers for all men and women who work in the same job (i.e., have the same qualifications). On the other hand, the uncontrolled gender pay gap considers the median salary for all men and women in the U.S., regardless of age, job type, etc.

  Knowing that, it’s rather shocking to note that by the end of a 40-year career, women in the U.S. make a whopping $900,000 less than men.

• Women are 6.2% less likely to have retirement savings by age 66.

  Overall, 47% of men between the ages of 55-66 have no retirement savings, while that number is 50% for women. Further, even when women do save, it’s typically less than their male counterparts. Only 22.1% of women have personal retirement savings of over $100,000, compared to 29.6% of men.

  

• The U.S. has the 4th largest gender pay gap of all OECD countries, with a gross earnings decile ratio of 17.7%

  The only OECD countries with worse gender pay gaps than the United States are Latvia (20.3%), Japan (22.5%), Israel (22.7%), and South Korea (31.5%).

  On the other side of the spectrum, Bulgaria has the lowest gender pay gap, with a gross earnings decile ratio of only 2.6%.

Gender Pay Gap Statistics Over Time

While the gender pay gap is still a huge problem facing the U.S. today, things have also improved over time. After all, it would have been unimaginable for women to work male-dominated jobs only 75 years ago. With that in mind, our research shows that:

• Since 1980, the gender pay gap has narrowed by 38%.

  Women currently make 83 cents for every dollar a man makes, but that number was far worse in 1980. Just 40 years ago, women only made 60 cents for every dollar a man earned.

• The gender pay gap narrowed slightly more for workers between the ages of 25-34, at 39%.

  Women between the ages of 25-34 are the closest to achieving equal pay, earning 93 cents for every dollar a man makes as of 2020. In 1980, this demographic made only 67 cents for every dollar a man earned.

• Women have lost 1 million more jobs than men over the course of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

  Overall, women have lost 5.4 million jobs, while men have lost 4.4 million. This is especially troubling, given that the U.S. workforce is split evenly between 71 million men and 71 million women.

• Between 1980 and 2016, the gap between the average hourly rate for women and men narrowed by 63.7%.

  In 1980, the average woman was only paid $12.48, compared to $19.42 for men. That means men were paid 55.6% more per hour than women were.

  However, by 2016, the average hourly rates narrowed to $16 per hour for women and $19.23 for men. While this is still an unacceptable 20.2% difference, it’s far less than what it was in 1980.

• From 1950 to 2017, women’s participation in the workforce increased from 33.9% to 57%.

  Over time, participation in the workforce has become far more equal. For instance, in 1950, men accounted for a considerable 86.4% of workplace participation, but today that percentage is down to 69.1%.

Gender Pay Gap Statistics by Parenting and Motherhood

A common issue that comes up along with the gender pay gap is parenting and motherhood. Seeing as women need to become pregnant to have their child, many find that the process of becoming a mother negatively impacts their career far more than a man who is also becoming a parent. Well, according to our research:

• 40% of mothers say taking time off for kids negatively impacts their careers.

  Comparably, only 15% of fathers say the same. That means that while nearly half of women feel their career is damaged by taking time off for their children, less than a quarter of men do.

• 41% of mothers are primary child caregivers.

  These women work to provide their children with all of their needs by themselves, often taking multiple jobs to do so. Likewise, 32% of fathers are the primary caregivers for their children.

• A meager 13% of women in the private sector have paid maternity leave.

  Despite the fact that 82% of Americans support paid maternity leave, only 13% of women working in the private sector have access to it. This can partially explain why the gender pay gap is still prevalent, as many women choose to sacrifice success in their careers when they become a mother.

Gender Pay Gap Statistics by Demographics

The gender pay gap can be vastly different depending on someone’s age, ethnicity, etc. As mentioned, Asian women actually make slightly more on average than white men, but that is the anomaly. To understand just how heavily different demographics are affected by the pay gap, we assembled the following facts:

• Women aged 25-34 earn 93% of what their male counterparts do.

  In general, the gender pay gap seems to narrow with younger workers. For instance, those between 16-24 earn 94.11% of what men of their age do, while women 65+ earn only 74.25% of what men of their age do.

  

• Hispanic women suffer from the biggest gender pay differential, earning only 57% of what a white man does.

  Along with Hispanic women, Black women also have comparably bad gender pay differentials. The average Black woman in the U.S. only earns 64% of what a white man does.

  

• Asian women as a whole have no gender pay differential, earning $1.01 for every dollar a white man earns.

  However, not all Asian ethnicities are equal in this regard. Indian women, Malaysian women, and Chinese women make the most, at an average of $1.21 for every dollar a man earns, while other Asian ethnicities make far less. For example, Burmese women make the least of any Asian ethnicity, at only 52 cents for every dollar a man earns.

• By the end of a 40-year career, the uncontrolled gender pay gap for Hispanic women is $1,163,920.

  That’s over $200,000 more lost than even the average woman in the U.S. Hispanic women aren’t alone in this injustice, as Native American women lose an average of $986,240, and Black women lose $964,400.

Gender Pay Gap Statistics by Job Title

The gender pay gap can be increasingly stark depending on the particular field or job in question. If you want to know which jobs are least and most affected by this issue, consider the following:

• Women make up 58% of workers making less than $15 per hour.

  While only 41.6% of men work these jobs, over the course of the COVID-19 Pandemic, women have made up the majority of essential workers who make less than $15 an hour. And that’s despite men and women being split equally in the American workforce.

  

• Only 8.2% of Fortune 500 company CEOs are women.

  In general, men dominate high-level jobs, such as executives, board members, and CEOs. For example, women make up roughly 23% of executive positions, 29% of senior management positions, and 37% of manager positions.

• Women only constitute 27% of the 117th United States Congress.

  Out of the 539 seats in the United States Congress, approximately 144 women hold seats across both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Though this is a 50% increase from the previous decade, it still underrepresents the female population as a whole.

• Anesthesiologists are the highest paying profession in the U.S., and only 36.4% of them are women.

  Other top-paying jobs include General Internal Medicine Physicians and Surgeons, both of which are made up of less than 50% women. What’s even more telling is the fact that even though 77% of healthcare workers are women, men are still the majority in many of the sector’s highest-paying positions.

• Laundry workers are the lowest paid in the U.S., and 55% of them are women.

  In fact, women are the majority in many of the lowest-paying jobs in the country. Some of the worst include Fast Food workers (51.2%), Servers (66.8%), Cashiers (67.7%), Housekeepers (72.6%), and Hostesses (80.4%).

Gender Pay Gap Statistics by Industry

Just as the gender pay gap can affect certain jobs differently, it can also have a profound effect on entire industries. According to our research:

• The Finance & Insurance industry has the highest gender pay gap, with men taking home $33,000 more than women each year.

  In the industry, women only make 60.3% of what their male counterparts do. Likewise, other industries with high gender pay gaps include Professional, scientific, & technical services (62.7%) and Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting (64.6%).

• The Construction industry has the lowest gender pay gap, with women earning 93.2% of what their male counterparts do.

  While there aren’t many women working in construction, jobs in the industry have some of the lowest gender pay gaps. Similarly, other industries with low gender pay gaps include Mining, quarrying, oil and gas extraction (89.5%), and Real estate (86.1%).

Gender Pay Gap Statistics by Location

Given the amount of autonomy U.S. states have, the various laws each state implements can have a direct effect on the gender pay gap. For that reason, it’s unsurprising to see certain states struggle with the issue more than others. Overall, here are some facts about the gender pay gap by location:

• Vermont has narrowed the gender pay gap the most, as women make 91% of what their male counterparts do.

  The other four of the top five states include Hawaii (89%), Maryland (89%), California (88%), and Nevada (87%). Overall, there are only nine states in the U.S., with gender pay gaps narrowed to 85% or more.

• Wyoming has the highest gender pay gap, with women making only 65% of what their male counterparts do.

  Other shockingly high gender pay gaps include Utah (70%), Louisiana (72%), Oklahoma (73%), and Alabama (74%). Overall, there are only 19 states where women make less than 80% of what their male counterparts do.

Gender Pay Gap Statistics FAQ

1. How much more do men get paid than women?

   Per dollar, the average man gets paid 17 cents more than the average woman. That might not seem like a lot, but it can really add up over time. For instance, the average woman earns $80,000 less over the course of the same 40-year career.

   What’s more, is that women typically work in jobs and industries with much lower hourly rates. Women make an average of $16 per hour in the U.S., while men make an average of $19.23. That’s a 20.2% difference.

2. How is the gender pay gap calculated?

   The gender pay gap is calculated relatively simply. First and foremost, U.S. Census Bureau data is used to calculate median salaries for both men and women that year. That number is right in the middle, meaning that 50% of men/women make more, and 50% make less.

   The median salaries of either gender are then compared to find the percentage difference. For example, if the average male salary in one state is $50,000 and the average female salary is $40,000, the percentage difference between the two is 22.2%. That would mean women are paid 78% of what men earn. The gender pay gap is 78 cents for every dollar.

3. What are the main causes of the gender pay gap?

   There are many factors that contribute to the gender pay gap. While open discrimination against women might be the first thing that comes to mind (and it does happen), the overall causes of the gap can be a tad more nuanced and complicated.

   For example, factors like time away from employment (i.e., maternity leave), occupational clustering (more women working certain types of jobs that pay less), and overtime are all factors that go into the pay gap.

   Many who oppose the idea of the pay gap might argue that women’s occupational choices don’t amount to pay discrimination; however, the argument falls flat for one main reason. More women may decide to be teachers than civil engineers, but why are teachers paid less on average?

   Even if women seem to gravitate more towards certain types of jobs, that doesn’t mean jobs traditionally held by women should be paid less than men. Any way you slice it, the fact that women are paid less on average is simply unacceptable.

4. How can we close the gender pay gap?

   There are five major ways we can close the wage gap once and for all. While varied and having different levels of effect, these are some of the major changes we can make to close the wage gap:

   • Raise the minimum wage. Because 58% of those working at the minimum wage level are women, the gender pay gap would improve if these women were paid more. Further, a higher minimum wage would give them a better quality of life overall.

   • Better regulated schedules. Many women, especially women of color, struggle with working jobs that have no concrete schedule. This can leave them overworked some weeks and underworked others. Ultimately, schedule inconsistencies cause inconsistent pay, which can negatively impact the wage gap.

   • Allow pay transparency. Many jobs don’t allow workers to discuss their respective salaries. This prevents women from finding out how much they are paid compared to their co-workers, giving companies more power than they should have.

     Instead, allowing women to discuss their salaries openly with men would allow for a call to action to improve the pay gap.

   • Affordable child-care. Tons of women have a child or children they need to take care of and can struggle to work when they can’t afford adequate child care. Therefore, if childcare is more affordable, women would be able to work the same number of hours as their male counterparts.

   • Implement medical leave. Whether women need to leave for pregnancy or any other medical reason, they should be compensated for medical leave. This would benefit both women and men and improve the pay gap.

5. What are the challenges in accurately calculating the gender wage gap?

   The main challenge in accurately calculating the gender wage gap is accurately accounting for all the factors. Anything from age, race, industry, or location can have a strong effect on the calculation’s outcome. Further, median salaries can also be skewed by the very few at the top or bottom of the spectrum.

   For instance, while there are more male millionaires than women, all millionaires make up a very small portion of the overall population.

   However, due to their vast wealth, a dozen male millionaires can greatly skew the median salary for all males in the U.S., making the wage gap seem larger than it actually is for the average person. This is one of the main reasons why the controlled and uncontrolled wage gaps are so different.

   Overall, while the fact that there are more male millionaires than women millionaires is still a social commentary on the wage gap, it can skew calculations.

6. Does an equitable “controlled gender pay gap” mean that there’s no gender discrimination?

   In theory, yes. An equitable controlled gender pay gap would mean that women and men in the same jobs with the same qualifications are always paid the same. That would essentially eliminate pay discrimination in specific fields.

   However, what this circumstance does fail to address is the uncontrolled gender pay gap. Women still, by in large, have a preference for jobs that are paid less on average. Therefore, in order to achieve true equity, female-dominated fields need to be valued just as highly as male-dominated ones.

7. What jobs are mostly female?

   The most common job in the US that’s mostly female is nursing, with over 2.18 million women working in the field. Other common occupations women hold in the US include:

   • Elementary and middle school teachers (1.65 million)

   • Secretaries and administrative assistants (1.57 million)

   • Managers (1.34 million)

   • Customer service representatives (1.28 million)

   • Supervisors of retail sales workers (1.15 million)

Conclusion

Though the U.S. has come a long way since the 1980s, the gender pay gap still remains a noteworthy issue. Even as of 2022, the average woman makes only 83.1% of her male counterparts. Further, that percentage only grows worse for women of color, older women, and women in male-dominated industries.

Overall, our country still needs to work to implement solutions like raising the minimum wage, providing affordable child care, and more if we want to see true equity. After all, women everywhere, of any age and ethnicity, deserve fair and equal treatment.

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Author

Jack Flynn

Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.