Women deserve fair pay, protective work environments, and security in retirement.
Why It Matters
Fair pay, safe workplaces, and economic security are foundational to women’s well-being, yet gaps in wages, labor standards, and retirement security leave millions of women behind. The gender pay gap persists across industries and education, driven by discrimination in hiring and promotions, occupational segregation, and caregiving penalties that fall disproportionately on mothers. For women of color, the gap is even wider, reflecting the compounding weight of both racial and gender inequality.
Low wages and inadequate labor protections deepen these challenges. Women make up the majority of minimum wage and tipped workers, leaving them especially vulnerable to income instability and economic hardship. These inequities follow women into retirement, where lower lifetime earnings, career interruptions, and limited access to employer-sponsored savings leave them at significantly greater risk of poverty in old age. Closing these gaps requires action across the full arc of women’s working lives.
150+ yearsIt will take until 2178 for Latina women, 2214 for AI/AN women, and 2224 for Black women to close the earnings gap with White men for all with earnings (including full-time, part-time, full-year, and part-year workers).
32.6%Women’s lower earnings and longer life expectancy put them at greater risk for poverty in old age. The gender gap in retirement income is 32.6% percent, compared to the 28% gender gap in median earnings.
