MEDIAN INCOME BY SEX,
1990-2007
Male
Female
$40,000
$34,126
THE MALE-FEMALE PAY GAP
$33,217
$31,208
$30,000
57¢
50¢
$20,000
$33,196
$33,180
59¢
62¢
63¢
$20,922
2007
$19,340
$19,729
$20,582
2000
2005
2006
$15,486
$10,000
$0
1990
Statistical Abstract of U.S. Table 685. Median Income of People With Income in
Constant (2007) Dollars by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1990 to 2007.
© David Schweingruber 2010
AVG. EARNINGS BY GENDER
& EDUCATION, 2007
© David Schweingruber 2010
AVG. EARNINGS BY GENDER
& EDUCATION, 2007
Male
Female
All ages
Ages18-24
$86,641
$90,000
Male
Female
$45,000
$75,000
$60,000
$37,329
$58,373
$48,993
$45,000
$42,219
$42,042
$27,561
$21,320
$30,000
$33,693
$58,000
$32,379
$36,836
$52,322
$30,000
$41,097
$29,542
$26,260
$24,619
$30,657
$18,020
$22,171
$21,389
$25,739
$23,748
$25,130
$18,013
$15,000
$15,000
$0
$25,153
$22,095
(NA)
All Workers
(72.3%)
Less than 9th grade Some high school High school graduate
(77.4%)
(65.8%)
(72.9%)
Some college
(75.2%)
Associate’s degree Bachelor’s degree+
(78.5%)
(66.9%)
Statistical Abstract of the U. S., 2010. Table 687. Average Earnings of Year-Round, Full-Time Workers by Educational Attainment: 2007.
© David Schweingruber 2010
$0
All Workers
(93.8%)
Less than 9th grade Some high school High school graduate
(NA)
(81.5%)
(85.0%)
Some college
(93.2%)
Associate’s degree Bachelor’s degree+
(85.1%)
(90.3%)
Statistical Abstract of the U. S., 2010. Table 687. Average Earnings of Year-Round, Full-Time Workers by Educational Attainment: 2007.
© David Schweingruber 2010
WHEN DO MEN MAKE MORE
THAN WOMEN?
WAGE GAP IN 10 MOST COMMON
OCCUPATIONS FOR WOMEN, 2009
1. Different work choices
Median Weekly
Earnings for Men
Median Weekly
Earnings for
Women
Women’s
Earnings as
percent of men’s
Share of Female
Workers in
Occupation
All Workers
$819
$657
80.2%
44.8%
Secretaries and administrative assistants
$666
$619
92.9%
96.9%
Elementary & middle school teachers
$1,040
$891
85.7%
81.3%
Registered Nurses
$1,040
$1,035
95.0%
90.7%
$519
$430
82.9%
88.0%
Historically, employers (and unions) believe that men, but not women, needed a
family wage
Nursing, psychiatric and home health
aides
First-line supervisors/managers of retail
sales workers
$770
$597
77.5%
44.4%
“Comparable worth” has not been successfully implemented
First-line supervisors/managers of office
and administrative support workers
$837
$705
84.2%
68.9%
Customer service representatives
$617
$587
95.1%
66.7%
Cashiers
$422
$361
85.5%
70.7%
Accountants and auditors
$1,190
$902
75.8%
61.1%
Managers, all other
$1,292
$1,037
80.3%
38.0%
However, women’s choices may be constrained by education, home-work conflict
and the family wage gap.
However, work choices and human capital don’t explain most of the pay gap
2. Occupational segregation: (1) men and women work different jobs and (2) femaledominated jobs are paid less than male-dominated ones
3. Occupation-wide pay discrimination: women are paid less for the same jobs
4. promotion gap produced by “glass ceilings,” “glass escalators” & other processes
5. Organization-level pay discrimination, e.g., Wal-Mart
Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Fact Sheet: The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation (April 2010)
© David Schweingruber 2010
WAGE GAP IN 10 MOST COMMON
OCCUPATIONS FOR MEN, 2009
Median Weekly
Earnings for Men
Median Weekly
Earnings for
Women
Women’s
Earnings as
percent of men’s
Share of Female
Workers in
Occupation
© David Schweingruber 2010
WAGE GAP IN 10 HIGHEST PAYING
OCCUPATIONS FOR WOMEN, 2009
Median Weekly
Earnings for Men
Median Weekly
Earnings for
Women
Women’s
Earnings as
percent of men’s
Share of Female
Workers in
Occupation
All Workers
$819
$657
80.2%
44.8%
All Workers
$819
$657
80.2%
44.8%
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
$690
$512
74.2%
3.7%
Chief executives
$2,084
$1,553
74.5%
24.3%
Managers, all other
$1,292
$1,037
80.3%
38.0%
Pharmacists
$1,954
$1,475
75.5%
43.0%
44.4%
Lawyers
$1,934
$1,449
74.9%
36.6%
First-line supervisors/managers of retail
sales workers
$770
Janitors and building cleaners
$484
$401
81.2%
26.5%
Computer and information system
managers
$1,788
$1,411
78.9%
27.7%
Retail salespersons
$624
$443
71.0%
42.8%
Computer software engineers
$1,550
$1,311
84.6%
21.3%
Laborers and freight, stock, and material
movers, hand
$511
$421
82.4%
13.4%
Physicians and surgeons
$1,914
$1,228
64.2%
34.3%
Construction laborers
$595
NA
NA
2.3%
Computer programers
$1,267
$1,182
93.3%
21.1%
Chief executives
$2,084
$1,553
74.5%
24.3%
Management analysts
$1,371
$1,177
85.8%
47.4%
Sales representatives, wholesale and
manufacturing
$986
$736
74.6%
26.8%
Computer scientists and systems analysts
$1,268
$1,167
92.0%
27.8%
Cooks
$400
$371
92.8%
36.7%
Occupational therapists
NA
$1,155
NA
81.7%
$597
77.5%
Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Fact Sheet: The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation (April 2010)
© David Schweingruber 2010
Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Fact Sheet: The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation (April 2010)
© David Schweingruber 2010
WAGE GAP IN 10 LOWEST PAYING
OCCUPATIONS FOR WOMEN, 2009
Median Weekly
Earnings for Men
Median Weekly
Earnings for
Women
Women’s
Earnings as
percent of men’s
Share of Female
Workers in
Occupation
All Workers
$819
$657
80.2%
44.8%
Miscellaneous agricultural workers
$405
$346
85.4%
15.0%
Combined food preparation and serving
workers, including fast food
$357
$347
97.2%
64.3%
Cashiers
$422
$361
85.5%
70.7%
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
$493
$362
73.4%
60.4%
Waiters and waitresses
$419
$363
86.6%
65.5%
Child care workers
NA
$364
NA
95.6%
Food preparation workers
$385
$367
95.3%
51.8%
Cooks
$400
$371
92.8%
36.7%
Maids and housekeeping cleaners
$444
$371
83.6%
87.1%
Sewing machine operators
NA
$383
NA
70.1%
Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Fact Sheet: The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation (April 2010)
© David Schweingruber 2010