April 24, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
Gradual advance in women's earnings vis-a-vis men from 1979 to 1999
Between 1979 and
1999, earnings for women aged 35-44 and 45-54 grew closer to their male
counterparts’ earnings, but the timing and extent of the gains varied by
age group.
[Chart data—TXT]
The median weekly earnings of women aged 35-44 as a percentage of men’s
increased from 58.3 percent to 73.0 percent from 1979 to 1993, a rise of
14.7 percentage points. Changes in the ratio were modest from 1993 until
1999, when the women to men’s earnings ratio dipped from 73.5 percent to
71.7.
There also was an increase in the female-to-male earnings ratio among
those aged 45 to 54 from 1979 to 1993, from 56.9 percent to 69.4 percent,
or 12.5 percentage points. After 1993, however, the earnings ratio for
this group continued to rise consistently for five more years before
edging down slightly in 1999.
These data on earnings are produced by the Current
Population Survey. More information
can be found in "Highlights
of Women’s Earnings in 1999,"
BLS Report 943 (PDF 253K).
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
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Read more »