Join us for IWPR’s 2026 Power+ Summit, The Power Grid: Driving Gender Equity Forward, taking place September 28–29 in Detroit, MI.
Together, we will spark bold ideas, share breakthroughs, and shape the future of gender equity.
The Year 2059
The rate of progress toward closing the gender pay gap did not increase in 2019: If the pace of change in the annual earnings ratio continued at the same rate as it has since 1960, it will take another 39 years instead of another 40 years (last year’s projection) for men and women to reach parity. The projected year for reaching equal pay—1959—has remained unchanged for the past four years.
Women’s and Men’s Annual Earnings Ratio
The ratio of women’s and men’s median annual earnings was 82.3 percent for full-time, year-round workers in 2019, a statistically insignificant change from 2018 when it was 81.6 percent. This ratio means that the gender wage gap for full-time, year-round workers is 17.7 percent. Women’s median full-time, year-round earnings in 2019 were $47,299, compared with $57,456 for men. Both women’s and men’s earnings increased in 2019, compared with the previous year, by 3.0 and 2.1 percent respectively.
Women’s and Men’s Weekly Earnings Ratio
An alternative measure of the wage gap is derived from the ratio of women’s to men’s median weekly earnings for full-time workers, which was 81.5 percent in 2019. The gender earnings ratio based on weekly earnings narrowed marginally between 2018 and 2019.