Overall, women in the United States are paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to men, and that gap is widest for women of color. This persistent, pervasive wage gap is driven in part by gender and racial discrimination, workplace harassment, job segregation and a lack of workplace policies that support family caregiving, which is still most often performed by women.
These same factors led to women being hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic and recession – working in many of the most-affected industries and bearing the brunt of increased caregiving without schools or child care. If nothing is done, the lifetime effects of the wage gap will only grow.
On average, women employed in the United States lose a combined total of nearly $1.6 trillion every year due to the wage gap. These lost wages mean women and their families have less money to support themselves, care for their families and communities, and save and invest for the future. Families, businesses and the economy suffer as a result.
Click on a state in the map or choose it from the drop down menu to learn more about the implications of the gender wage gap.
For Additional Data
- Closing the Wage Gap for All Women Workers
- America’s Women and the Wage Gap
- Latinas and the Wage Gap, in partnership with Unidos US
- Black Women and the Wage Gap
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Women and the Wage Gap