What’s behind the widening gender wage gap? – The Denver Post

Date:

NEW YORK — Just how much of a setback was the COVID-19 pandemic for U.S. working women?

Although women who lost or left their jobs at the height of the crisis have largely returned to the workforce, a recent finding points to the price many paid for stepping back: In 2023, the gender wage gap between men and women working full-time widened year-over-year for the first time in 20 years, according to an annual report from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Economists trying to make sense of the data say it captures a complicated moment during the disjointed post-pandemic labor market recovery when many women finally returned to work full-time, especially in hard-hit low-wage industries where they are overrepresented like hospitality, social work and caretaking.

The news is not all bad: Wages rose for all workers last year, but faster for men. And while the gender wage gap rose, it’s on par with what it was in 2019 before the pandemic hit.

In 2023, women working full time earned 83 cents on the dollar compared to men, down from a historic high of 84 cents in 2022. The Census Bureau called it the first statistically significant widening of the ratio since 2003.

That’s a reversal from the previous five years when the ratio had been narrowing — a trend that may have partly been driven by average median earnings for women rising because so many low-wage women had been pushed out of full-time jobs.

S.J. Glynn, the Labor Department’s chief economist, said it’s too soon to tell whether 2023 was a blip or the start of a worrisome new trend for the gender wage gap. But she said that even a reversion to the pre-pandemic status quo is a reminder of how far behind women were in the first place, and shows how the pandemic slowed the march toward gender equity.

Hispanic women in particular illustrate the complexities of this moment. They were the only demographic group of women overall whose wage gap narrowed marginally between 2022 and 2023 in comparison to white men working full time, according to Census Bureau data analyzed by both the National Women’s Law Center and the National Partnership for Women and Families, research and advocacy groups. For Black women and Asian women, the wage gap widened, and for white women, it stayed the same.

Latinas have increasingly become a driving force of the U.S. economy as they enter the workforce at a faster pace than non-Hispanic people. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of Latinas working full time surged by 5% while the overall number of full time female workers stayed the same.

Matthew Fienup, executive director of California Lutheran University’s Center for Economic Research & Forecasting, said he expects the gains in Latina wages, educational attainment and contributions to the U.S. GDP “to continue for the foreseeable future.” For women overall, he noted that the gender wage gap has steadily narrowed since 1981 despite occasionally widening from one-year-to the next.


Across the United States, the persistence of the gender wage gap continues to elicit concern and discussion. The discrepancy in pay between men and women has been an enduring issue across the globe, and unfortunately, the United States is not an exception. According to recent studies, the wage gap in Denver and Colorado, at large, is currently worse than the national average. But what factors contribute to this widening wage gap?

Firstly, it is important to understand what the gender wage gap represents. It is the difference between the median earnings of women compared to men, usually calculated as a percentage of men’s earnings. According to the American Association of University Women (AAUW), women working full time in Colorado in 2018 earned an average of 86 percent of what men earned. It is an alarming figure, especially since this is a slight decrease from the previous year, which saw women earn 88 percent of what their male counterparts did.

Several factors are driving this worsening scenario, and each merits serious consideration. The first factor is the gender segregation of occupations. Certain fields are notoriously male-dominated, like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), while others, such as education and nursing, are predominantly populated by women. The former are often better paid than the latter. Even within the same fields, men are often found in higher-paying, leadership roles, while women are found in lower-paying positions.

Secondly, there remains a stubborn cultural bias that critics argue undervalues the work of women. Women are more often than not the primary caregivers to children or elderly family members, taking time off work or settling for part-time jobs, which affect their overall earnings. This “motherhood penalty” often makes women seem less committed to their careers and subsequently passed over for promotions or higher-paying roles.

Additionally, the lack of transparency around salary discussions further widens the wage gap. Without clear information on what colleagues or industry peers are earning, women cannot accurately gauge if they are being underpaid and demand better.

Finally, historical discrimination still plays a role in wage inequality. Women have been fighting for equal rights, and particularly equal pay, for decades, and yet, progress has been painfully slow. The impact of past discrimination and gender bias still resonates today, influencing the perceptions of the roles women ‘should’ play in society, thus manifesting in unequal pay.

The gender wage gap calls for necessary changes that businesses and the government collectively must make to ensure equal pay. This includes promoting transparency around salary discussions, providing adequate parental leave for both parents, deconstructing gender stereotypes, and ensuring bias against women, notably those in caregiving roles, doesn’t hinder their career development. Legislative backing for equal pay may also help enforce compliance among businesses.

In conclusion, the widening gender wage gap is not a simple issue with an easy fix. It is a complex, deeply rooted problem that requires the concerted effort of individuals, businesses, and society as a whole to address. Until we tackle the underlying factors driving this wage disparity, achieving true gender equality in the workplace will remain an elusive goal.


Write a blog post about the benefits of practicing mindfulness for mental health.,
[/gpt3]
What’s behind the widening gender wage gap? – The Denver Post

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe

spot_imgspot_img

Popular

More like this
Related

Boeing reports $6 billion quarterly loss ahead of vote by union

By DAVID KOENIG and MANUEL VALDESEVERETT, Wash. — Boeing...

Colorado’s first Waldorf Astoria property coming to Cherry Creek

The Waldorf Astoria, recognized for its upscale hotels and...

Lower-priced new cars are gaining popularity, and not just for cash-poor buyers

DETROIT — Had she wanted to, Michelle Chumley could...

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries arrested on federal sex trafficking charges

By JENNIFER PELTZ and CEDAR ATTANASIONEW YORK (AP) —...