July 25, 2023

Gender Pay Gap Statistics—Where Are We Now? [2022]

Statistics

Research continues to show that the nature of work is evolving as the COVID-19 pandemic fluctuates. Remote work has given rise to non-linear work days and sweats as office wear. But one thing has remained the same, unfortunately: the continued existence of a gender wage gap.

The issue of pay discrepancy was first brought to light in the 1860s, when “equal pay for equal work” became a rallying cry among women’s rights activists. Eventually, big strides were made with the signing of the Equal Pay Act in 1963. However, despite this legislation, the gap has proven difficult to close.

The reality is, women still earn less than men in many sectors. To paint a more nuanced picture of the gender pay gap today, we researched relevant statistics from multiple sources. Among other things, they reveal that the gap of 2022 is felt most by women of color, and that certain professions—such as childcare and housekeeping, which are associated with low pay—are dominated by women.

Keep reading to uncover more interesting nuggets in the gender pay gap statistics below—the state with the lowest gap may surprise you!

Overall Gender Pay Gap Statistics

Men have earned more than women since 1979.
Women working full time in the U.S. make 83% of what men do.
Collectively, working women lose out on more than $500 billion a year.
A 20-year old woman just starting full-time, year-round work today stands to lose $406,760 over a 40-year career compared to her male counterpart.
Male-dominated industries tend to have higher wages than industries and occupations made up mostly of female workers.
15 of the 20 highest-paying jobs are dominated by men.
14 of the 20 lowest-paying jobs are dominated by women.
Just 4% of women fill executive positions compared to 8% of men.
In 2022, the controlled gender pay gap (meaning that all other factors besides gender—including title, education, experience, etc.—are equal) is $0.99 for every $1 earned by men.
The uncontrolled gender pay gap is $0.82 for every $1 that men make.
The controlled gender pay gap has closed by a total of $0.02 since 2015.
Among women who are unemployed less than three months, the gender pay gap is $0.83 on the dollar; this figure widens to $0.70 when that period is more than 24 months.
For women who have been actively seeking a job for 18–24 months, the controlled gender pay gap is $0.95/$1 earned by men with the same employment characteristics.
In February 2021, women’s labor force participation rate was 55.8%—the same rate as April 1987.
The labor force participation rate for women aged 20 and over was 58.0% in February 2022, less than the rate of 59.3% in February 2020.
Women between the ages of 20 and 29 earn $0.86 compared to every $1 that men earn.
Women between the ages of 30 to 44 earn $0.82 compared to every $1 men earn.
Women over the age of 75 are almost twice as likely to live in poverty.
For unmarried women, including widows aged 65 and older, Social Security comprises 45% of their total income.
48% of all older unmarried women receiving Social Security benefits relied on those checks for 90% or more of their total income.
Women hold $929 billion or two-thirds of America’s student debt.
Women with bachelor’s degrees who work full time are paid 26% less than their male counterparts.
MBAs see a wider controlled gender pay gap of $0.97.
Women with MBAs take home $0.76 for every dollar (uncontrolled).
Law degrees close the controlled gender pay gap slightly at $0.99.
Women with law degrees earn $0.89 for every dollar earned by men with a law degree (uncontrolled).
Women with doctorates have a controlled gender pay gap of $0.96.
A high school degree has a controlled pay gap of $0.98.
The career wage gap for women with a bachelor’s degree or higher is $713,000.
The career wage gap for women with some college education is $452,000.
The career wage gap for women with a high school education is $392,000.
The career wage gap for women with less than a high school education is $270,000.
The median annual pay gap between men and women ages 25 to 34 is $4,572.
The median annual pay gap between men and women ages 35 to 44 is $11,191.
The median annual pay gap between men and women ages 45 to 54 is $13,519.
The median annual pay gap between men and women ages 55 to 64 is $14,116.
The gap between the average retirement income that men and women receive annually is $8,000.

Sources: The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap, Gender pay gap statistics, Fast Facts: The Gender Pay Gap, 5 Reasons Older Women Face a Pay Gap, The Gender Pay Gap, 2022 State of the Gender Pay Gap Report, 5 Facts About the State of the Gender Pay Gap, These 8 charts show the glaring gap between men's and women's salaries in the US, Wage Gap by the Numbers

Industry-related Gender Pay Gap Data

The industry with the largest controlled gender pay gap is transportation & warehousing ($0.96).
Large gaps also occur among financial services sales agents, financial managers, and financial advisers.
For female financial managers, there’s a 35% gap as compared to their male counterparts. In 2019 the median earnings for men in the finance industry was $90,558, while women earned $53,629.
The widest uncontrolled gender pay gaps are in the fields of education ($0.75) and law ($0.63).
The smallest uncontrolled gender pay gaps are among healthcare practitioners and healthcare support ($0.98).
Female doctors are compensated only 71 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts—a 29% gap.
The controlled gender pay gaps in farming, fishing and forestry is $0.89.
The controlled gender pay gap in installation, maintenance & repair is $0.94.
The controlled gender pay gap in construction and extraction is $0.95.
In 2019 the median earnings for women in construction was $46,808, close to men's earnings of $48,605.
The controlled gender pay gap in production is $0.96.
In the legal field, the average salary for men is $140,270—a full 24% more than the $106,837 women earn.
In arts, entertainment, and recreation, women earned 89.30% of what their male counterparts earned.
In accommodation and food services, women earned 84.10% of what their male counterparts earned.
In real estate, rental, and leasing, women earned 94.20% of what their male counterparts earned.
In wholesale trade, women earned 84% of what their male counterparts earned.
In mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, women earned 91.40% of what their male counterparts earned.
In educational services, women earned 87.40% of what their male counterparts earned.
In administrative support and waste management services, women earned 85.10% of what their male counterparts earned.
In transportation and warehousing, women earned 80.20% of what their male counterparts earned.
In agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting, women earned 80.10% of what their male counterparts earned.
The percentage of women working as hand packers and packagers is 49%.
The percentage of women working as food preparation workers is 56%.
The percentage of women working as bartenders is 58%.
The percentage of women working as food servers is 70%.
The percentage of women working as cashiers is 72%.
The percentage of women working as personal care aides is 84%.
The percentage of women working as maids and housekeepers is 88%.
The percentage of women working as home health aides is 89%.
The percentage of women working in childcare is 95%.

Sources: The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap, Why the Pay Gap Persists in High-Paying Professions, 2022 State of the Gender Pay Gap Report, U.S. Census Bureau, Economic inequality by gender

Demographics Of The Gender Pay Gap

Moms earn only 71 cents for every dollar paid to fathers, which translates to a loss of $16,000 annually.
Compared to white, non-Hispanic men, Latinas make  55  cents on the dollar.
In 2020, women's gross hourly earnings were on average 13% below those of men in the EU.
American Indian and Alaska Native women make 60 cents on the dollar.
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander women make 63 cents on the dollar.
Black women make 63 cents on the dollar.
Asian women make 87 cents on the dollar.
Latinas' earning ratio compared to white men changed only 4% between 1988 and 2019.
Among Latinas, unemployment rose from 4.8% to 12.5% between the third quarter of 2019 and the third quarter of 2020.
59% of Americans believe the pay gap is the result of biases, not choice.
Black women make up just 1% of the high-paying engineering workforce and 3% of computing.
For women who are parents, there is an uncontrolled pay gap of $0.74 for every dollar earned by a male parent.
All else being equal, mothers earn $0.98 for every dollar earned by fathers with the same employment characteristics.
The uncontrolled gender pay gap shrinks to $0.88 on the dollar amongst women without children.
At age 45 and older, the gender pay gap widens further for the uncontrolled group, to only $0.73 compared to every $1 men make.
Pacific Islander women at the director level saw the uncontrolled pay gap widen ten cents from $0.83 in 2020 to $0.73 in 2021, and then widen again to $0.71 in 2022.
When controlling for compensable factors, Hispanic women executives saw the pay gap widen from $0.97 in 2020 to $0.94 in 2021, and now to $0.93 in 2022.
For every $1 earned by white, non-Hispanic men, Filipino women earned 83 cents, Tongan women earned 75 cents, and Nepali women earned 50 cents.
In the U.S., Vermont had the smallest pay gap in 2019 at 9%.
Internationally, the gender wage gap recorded in South Korea is 33.59%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Estonia is 28.16%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Russia is 24.42%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Germany is 22.29%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Austria is 22.22%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Czechia is 20.61%.
The gender wage gap recorded in the United Kingdom is 20.59%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Chile is 20.55%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Peru is 20.51%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Slovakia is 19.10%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Switzerland is 17.38%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Latvia is 17.38%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Iceland is 16.55%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Finland is 16.34%.
The gender wage gap recorded in the Netherlands is 16.07%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Brazil is 15.97%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Denmark is 15.96%.
The gender wage gap recorded in France is 15.50%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Hungary is 15.12%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Israel is 15.10%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Norway is 14.45%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Cyprus is 14.15%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Ireland is 13.93%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Sweden is 13.85%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Lithuania is 13.29%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Bulgaria is 12.66%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Spain is 12.50%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Pakistan is 10.81%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Vietnam is 10.71%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Malta is 10.19%.
The gender wage gap recorded in North Macedonia is 9.15%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Serbia is 8.72%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Uruguay is 8.62%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Portugal is 8.54%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Montenegro is 7.78%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Poland is 7.73%.
The gender wage gap recorded in the Dominican Republic is 7.38%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Slovenia is 7.00%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Mexico is 6.65%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Romania is 6.61%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Belgium is 6.54%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Bolivia is 6.18%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Italy is 6.12%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Luxembourg is 5.38%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Panama is 4.44%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Brunei is 2.74%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Nicaragua is 2.62%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Guatemala is 0.68%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Colombia is 0.34%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Turkey is -1.26%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Paraguay is -1.77%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Malaysia is -2.25%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Ecuador is -2.80%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Argentina is -3.62%.
The gender wage gap recorded in El Salvador is -5.26%.
The gender wage gap recorded in Honduras is -15.05%.