Gender Pay Gap in Washington

Washington

Despite women making up the majority of college-educated adults in the U.S. since 1981, women continue to be paid less than men, regardless of education level. The Equal Pay Act of 1963, aimed at abolishing unequal pay between genders, has not been very successful; for every $1 a man earns, women still earn an estimated 80 cents today. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research has reported that if women were paid equally as men, the poverty rates among working women could decrease from 8.2% to 4.0%. Subsequently, this could contribute to reducing poverty among children and families. Closing the gender pay gap can help many women, especially single mothers, achieve economic stability.

Gender discrimination in the workplace has been identified as a factor contributing to inequitable compensation. According to a 2017 survey, 1 in 4 women state that they earn less than men who are doing the same job. More women who have higher levels of educational attainment report experiencing gender discrimination at work and lower earnings than men performing the same job, compared with women with lower levels of educational attainment.

Unequal pay by gender also affects the health and wellness of women in the workforce. A 2016 study found that women who earned a lower income than their male counterparts had more than twice the odds of depression and four times the likelihood of anxiety compared with women who earned incomes the same as or higher than their male counterparts.

Income varies by both gender and race/ethnicity. It is highest among Asian and white men and lowest among Hispanic and Black women. Other differences include:

• Older women make less than younger women as a percentage of earnings of men the same age.
• Asian and white women had the highest earnings differences compared with men of the same race, with Asian women earning 79% as much as Asian men and white women making 82% as much as white men.

Despite advancements in narrowing the gender pay gap over the last several decades, progress has stalled over the past 15 years. If passed, the proposed Paycheck Fairness Act would diminish wage disparities resulting from gender-based occupational discrimination. Additional strategies to address the gender pay gap include: 

• Encouraging pay transparency. 
• Investing in affordable, high-quality child care and early childhood education programs.
• Passing a national paid family and medical leave program.
• Increasing the minimum wage.

Gould, Elise, Jessica Schieder, and Kathleen Geier. 2016. “What Is the Gender Pay Gap and Is It Real?: The Complete Guide to How Women Are Paid Less than Men and Why It Can’t Be Explained Away.” Washington, D.C.: Economic Policy Institute. http://epi.org/112962.

“The Economic Impact of Equal Pay by State.” n.d. IWPR #C457. Status of Women in the United States. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Women’s Policy Research. https://iwpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/C457.pdf.