Are women more equal in the workplace? Sort of, Pew says
- Pew research shows there are more women in the workplace than ever
- Yet the overall gender pay gap has remained flat for the last 20 years
- March 12 is Equal Pay Day, which raises awareness about gender pay gap
Woman holds up Equal Pay sign amid protest (Getty Images)
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(NewsNation) — Have women gained more equality in the workplace? According to a recent study published by Katherine Schaeffer of the Pew Research Center, the answer is … complicated.
“Women have made gains in labor force participation and wages, and they’ve increased their presence in the highest-paying jobs,” Schaeffer writes, but she goes on to say research still shows large disparities exist in pay and representation in top business and governmental positions.
For instance, while women consisted of 46.9% of the U.S. civilian workforce in 2023, a rise from 29.6% in 1950, this growth is slowing, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects women will account for only 47.3% of workers in 2032.
However, 35% of workers in America’s 10 highest-paying jobs are women, a rise from 13% in 1980, according to Pew’s study of Census Bureau data.
The overall gender pay gap persists, though. U.S. women only received 82 cents for every dollar men earn in 2022, an increase of merely two cents from 2002.
Women also are underrepresented in prominent business and government positions. Only 28% of U.S. congressional members and 11% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.
Equal Pay Day, a symbolic day intended to raise awareness about gender pay gaps, occurs March 12 this year.