According to the US Census Bureau, in 2005 women earned 77 cents for every $1 earned by men, statistically unchanged from 2004. The wage gap costs the average American full-time working woman between $700,000 and $2 million over the course of her lifetime, according to economist Evelyn Murphy, president of the WAGE Project
To fight this injustice, Women Work! strives to educate individuals about the wage gap, including how to work with employers to implement fair pay policies; fight the wage gap in their own lives; and advocate for equal pay legislation on both federal and state levels.
Women deserve to be paid according to their productivity and economic worth–not by their gender.
Capitol Hill Equal Pay Day Rally
Fighting the Wage Gap Fact Sheet (pdf file, 91 kb)
Statistics and charts comparing age, gender, family type and other characteristics affecting wages.
Additional Resources
The National Committee on Pay Equity is the national membership coalition of over 80 organizations working to eliminate sex- and race-based wage discrimination. Their web site offers resources and fact sheets about pay equity.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released 1999 statistics for women and minorities working in private industry. The report, Job Patterns for Minorities and Women in Private Industry (EEO-1), is available on their web site.
Keep abreast of news affecting vocational and education programs by reading the Economic Equity Insider, our monthly legislative update on women’s workforce development issues, vocational education, federal financial aid, federal policy and related issues. The Insider is just one of the many benefits of joining Women Work!.