WH Report: Gender Pay Disparities Persist Despite Increase in Women with Higher Education

Despite an increase in the number of women pursuing higher education, disparities between women and men still exist in the employment sector, according to a report compiled by the Council on Women and Girls, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Economics and Statistics Administration. 

“Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being” details how the status of women is changing in five areas: demographic and family changes, education, employment, health, and crime and violence.

The report reveals that the number of women with bachelor and graduate degrees has surpassed men.  However, there continues to be a wage gap between women and men, with women earning approximately $0.80 for every $1.00 that men earn. Women also tend to take lower wage jobs and their relative absence is noted in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

According to the Council of Women and Girls, the information provided in the “Women in America” report is vital for developing and reshaping programs and policies that continue to progress women in America.  

Civil rights groups are currently pushing Congress to pass legislation that would help women workers who suffer from wage discrimination – the Paycheck Fairness Act. The Act would update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which made it illegal for employers to pay unequal wages to men and women who perform substantially the same work. 

“In today’s economic climate, working families are struggling to make ends meet. Women in particular are often forced to raise their families on incomes lower than male colleagues performing the same job,” said Wade Henderson, president & CEO, and Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president, in a September 2010 letter to the Senate.