Over half a century after the the US passed the Equal Pay Act, American women still face a substantial gender wage gap across the spectrum.
Today, on average, a woman earns 80.5 cents for every dollar a man earns, and women's median annual earnings are $10,086 less than men's, according to data from the US Census Bureau.
While progress has been made toward pay parity between the sexes, the Institute for Women's Policy Research estimates that it will not be reached until 2059.
The six charts below illustrate the significant pay discrepancies between men and women based on race, age, geographical location, and more.
The gender wage gap varies widely depending on the state
According to data from the US Census Bureau, the average gender pay gap in the United States is around 19.5%, meaning that, on average, a woman earns 80.5% less than her male counterpart. That gap can be larger or smaller depending on the state someone lives in.
In Louisiana, for instance, the gender pay gap is 30%, the biggest wage gap in the nation. Twenty-nine states in the country currently have gender pay gaps that are larger than the national average.
Most states have implemented laws against gender discrimination, and the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects women at the federal level. Yet disparities persist.
New York has the smallest pay gap at 11%, with full-time, year-round women over 25 there making a median salary of $47,358, while men make $53,124.
Cities show an even bigger discrepancy, especially for people of color
As Business Insider's Leanna Garfield reported, salaries in 25 major US cities show an even greater range of pay discrepancy, particularly for women of color.
The data come from a recent report from the American Association of University Women, a nonprofit that advocates for gender equality.
Large disparities exist between men's and women's salaries in each of these cities, with the widest gaps appearing to exist between Hispanic women and white men. In Houston, Texas, Hispanic women earn around 35% of what white men make. Detroit, where Asian women tend to make 2% more than white men, is an outlier.
Out of the 25 metros, the narrowest gender wage gap overall is in Tampa, Florida, where women make approximately 89% of the median salary for men — higher than the national average.
That said, the ratios for Hispanic and black women there are 61% and 65%, respectively, compared to white men. And white women in Tampa earn 83% of white men's salaries.
Overall, black and Hispanic women face the biggest pay gap when compared to white men
Black and Hispanic women are most affected by the wage gap, especially when compared to white men, who make up the largest demographic segment of the workforce.
Asian women face the smallest wage gap — they earn 87% of what white men earn, resulting in a pay gap of 13%. White women earn 79% of what white men do, while black women earn 63% and Hispanic women earn 54%.
When compared to black men, black women earn 87.5% of what black men do, and Hispanic women make 84% of what Hispanic men do.
The larger disparity between white men's and women of color's earnings could be attributed to the fact that "women of color suffer both because of their gender and their race," according to an April 2016 report released by the Senate Joint Economic Committee's Democratic Staff.
See the rest of the story at INSIDER
0 Comments