It’s Equal Pay Day Because, Yes, Women Are Still Paid Less Than Men

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden will sign an executive order to help end the gender pay gap.

It’s 2022, and believe it or not, on average women are still paid less than men. That’s why Tuesday is Equal Pay Day, a symbolic day to raise awareness of the gender pay gap.

In order to close the gap, on Tuesday, President Joe Biden will sign an executive order that encourages the government to consider banning federal contractors from seeking information about job applicants’ prior salary history.

Also, a new Labor Department directive is aimed at strengthening federal contractors’ obligations to audit payrolls to help guard against pay disparities based on gender, race, or ethnicity.

Another measure being considered by the Office of Personnel Management is a regulation to address the use of prior salary history in hiring and setting compensation for federal workers.

For decades women have had to work longer hours to earn what men earn.

The good news is that data shows the pay gap is at its smallest ever. ​​According to the 2022 State of the Gender Pay Gap Report, the uncontrolled gender pay gap is $0.82 for every $1 that men make. For Hispanic women, the gap is $0.78 for every $1 that men make. The uncontrolled pay gap compares the average pay for men and women regardless of their jobs, while the controlled pay gap compares men and women in similar jobs.

However, Jasmine Tucker, director of research at the National Women’s Law Center, said that we are seeing an artificial narrowing, because the coronavirus pandemic has altered women’s labor force participation.

Pay Gap Facts

• In Florida, women overall earn 85 cents for every $1 men earn.
• The wage gap difference between men and women in Florida is $7,705.
• Places with a wage gap above $15,000 include Wyoming, $21,676; Utah, $17,303; and the District of Columbia, $16,032.
• Puerto Rico had the lowest median earnings for both men and women among the states and Washington, D.C.

5 Jobs With a Wage Gap Favoring Women

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average, women earn more in these positions.

• Compliance officers
• Graphic designers
• Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
• Pharmacists
• Insurance claims and policy processing clerks