Growing Inequality » earnings by Gender

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 data, the national median earnings for men working full time in 2010 was $46,500, compared to $36,551 for women – or 78.6% less. While the ratio varies by state and region there is no state where the gender earnings gap does not exist.

In Washington, both men and women earned more than their counterparts nationally in 2010, but men in the state had a much higher premium. Washington women working full time earned 77.3% of men’s wages.

The gender disparity comes from the fact that men earn more than women in most jobs, and also that men outnumber women in higher-earning occupations. Workplace policies that force workers to choose between job and family responsibilities and continued institutional discrimination are major contributing factors to ongoing pay disparities.

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