The Pew Research Center analyzes Census data and this month reported 10 key findings about the economic realities of women and men in the workplace. The generation entering the workforce today, women in the 25-32 year old age group, have obtained 4-year degrees in higher numbers than men in the same age group and have closed the income gap a few more percentage points. They report women’s earnings are 93% of men’s wages verses 87% for women entering the workforce in 2000. This is considered “near parity”. However, the gains are partly due to falling wages for men, and it is unclear whether the income gap won’t just widen again as their careers advance, which has been the case for women in previous decades.
Women have made dramatic gains since 1980 when the gender pay gap was 67% of men’s wages, but the female workers of today don’t feel any more optimism about their career paths. And compared to men of their generation, are much more likely to say more change is needed to achieve gender equality.
More on how Pew Research measured the gender pay gap.