The earnings gap between men and women has shrunk to a record low, partly because many women are prospering in the new economy and partly because men have been hit hard by the recession. Women earned 82.8% of the median weekly wage of men in the second quarter of 2010, up from 76.1% for the same period a decade ago and the highest ever recorded, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. The Census Bureau on Thursday will release a more comprehensive look at earnings differences between men and women. But a USA TODAY analysis of current data shows dramatic changes are underway short-term and long-term. “The good news is the wage gap is closing. The bad news is the reason,” says economist Robert Drago, research director at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
Gender pay gap is smallest on record
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