Women Make Pay Strides

The gender wage gap narrowed slightly last year, with the median weekly earnings of female full-time workers at $657, compared with the male median weekly earnings of $819.

The ratio of women’s to men’s earnings was 80.2, higher than 79.9 percent in 2008, but below the historical high of 81 percent in 2005, according to a new fact sheet released by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. An alternative measure of gender wage gap, based on median annual earnings, is not yet available for 2009.

Women’s median weekly earnings increased by 3.3 percent compared with 2008, while men’s earnings increased by 3 percent. The increase is at least partly because of the disproportionate concentration of job losses among lower paid and more junior employees, according to the institute.

Michelle Flaum, a clinical faculty member of the Department of Counselor Education in Human Services at the University of Dayton, said it is difficult to say any one factor causes the closing or widening of the wage gap. She said part of the reason for the inequality in pay is that women, who historically have been the primary caretaker of the home, place emphasis on career flexibility.

Generally, women will try not to get in the fast track for promotions because the time spent in the workplace will increase. This can result in lower pay, Flaum said.

For women in the workplace, Flaum said they need to continue to assert themselves in creating their worth in the workplace and being acknowledged for that worth.

The latest unemployment figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows mixed results for women. There was a drop in unemployment for women who maintain families, down to 11.6 percent from its historic high of 13 percent in December 2009. But, unemployment for all women rose from 8.4 percent to 8.6 percent.

The gender wage gap is higher for black and Hispanic families. On average, black women make 68.9 cents for every dollar earned by a white man per week. Hispanic women make 60.2 cents for every dollar earned by a white man.