According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women earn, on average, 83 cents for every dollar their male counterparts make. The statistics are influenced by career choice; men are more likely to pursue higher-paying jobs like software developer (89 percent men) and construction project manager (91 percent men), for example, while women are more likely to become teachers (86 percent women) and nurses (89 percent women). But that’s only part of the story. The gender parity gap is strikingly felt in the C-suite. That’s certainly true in North Texas, where rankings of the top 150 public companies show not a single female chief executive.
Closing the Gap
More than 50 years after the Equal Pay Act, disparity still exists.
The gender pay gap has slowly narrowed over the years. In 1996, women earned an average of 73.8 percent of what men made. In 2006, the pay gap was 76.9 percent. Current statistics show parity is closest for those aged 16-24 and 25-34. Things begin to significantly diverge at age 35. From that point on, women’s earnings remain stagnant, until they drop at age 65.
| Age | Weekly Earnings, Women | Weekly Earnings, Men |
|---|---|---|
| 16-24 | $451 | $493 |
| 25-34 | $679 | $755 |
| 35-44 | $781 | $964 |
| 45-54 | $780 | $1,011 |
| 55-64 | $780 | $1,021 |
| 65 and older | $740 | $942 |
