Trends in Employment and Earnings
Women’s status in the area of employment and earnings has improved on two indicators since the publication of IWPR’s last national report on the status of women, the 2004 Status of Women in the States, and remained unchanged or declined on two others. Women’s median annual earnings for full-time, year-round work in 2013 ($39,157) were nearly identical to their earnings for similar work in 2002 ($39,108 when adjusted to 2013 dollars). The gender earnings ratio improved during this time from 76.6 to 78.3 percent, narrowing the gender wage gap by 1.7 percentage points, and the share of women working in professional or managerial occupations grew from 33.2 to 39.9 percent. Women’s labor force participation rate, however, declined from 59.6 in 2002 to 57.0 percent in 2014.
Women Will Not See Equal Pay with Men until 2059, One Year Longer than Previously Projected
The gender wage ratio improved slightly from 77.6 percent in 2013 to 78.6 percent in 2014, which the Census Bureau reported was not statistically significant. With this insignificant improvement in the gender wage ratio, an IWPR analysis finds that, if current trends are projected forward, women will not receive equal pay until 2059. This date is one year further out from last year, indicating that the slow progress in closing the gender wage gap over the last decade may have long-term effects on women’s economic gains.
Unemployment Rate for Women and Men of Color Remains Higher Than for White Women and Men
According to the September employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Black women and men have the highest levels of unemployment, while whites have the lowest.
Women Gain 107,000 Jobs in August and Men Gain 66,000 Jobs
According to an Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) analysis of the September employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), women gained 107,000 jobs and men gained 66,000 for a total of 173,000 jobs added in August. The overall unemployment rate decreased to 5.1 percent in August from 5.3 percent in July.
