US gender wage gap narrows, but Black and Latina women are still being left behind
The US gender wage gap narrowed in 2025, but the gains were not shared equally. Black women working full-time earned just 63.8 cents for every dollar earned by a White man – with pay equity still more than two centuries away.
The US gender wage gap improved in 2025 after two years of backsliding, but new analysis warns that the progress was far from evenly shared. Women working full-time year-round earned 83.9 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2025, up from 80.6 cents in 2024, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR).
For all women with earnings – including those working part-time or part-year – the ratio also improved, from 75.3 cents to 77.5 cents for every dollar earned by men. But behind those headline gains, racial disparities remain stark. Black women working full-time year-round earned just 63.8 cents for every dollar earned by a White man, while Latina women earned 59.8 cents.
And at the current pace of progress, IWPR estimates Black women will not achieve pay equity until 2230, while Latina women could wait until 2156. That equates to more than six generations for Black women and nearly four generations for Latina women.