People and Their Money - Income By Gender

In this series, using deflated, constant dollars, we see that the incomes of men and women have risen steadily in the 1955 to 2000 period — but the gap in income between men and women has not meaningfully closed. In fact, it has grown from $8,243 in 1955 to $10,120 in 2000, with significan widening in 1973 (to $16,820) — just ahead of the 1974-1975 recession. Women's income resists the downward pressures on wages in recessions more than men's; consequently, during the recession, the differential dropped in favor of women but grew again after the recession ended.

The data are median income; half of the population earns more, half earns less. Population here means individuals aged 15 years old and older (14 years and older before 1980).

Whatever other factors might be involved — that women are over-represented in the lower-paying services sector jobs, for instance — the fact remains that there is a persistent gap between the sexes in income. Moreover, not even the high-tech economy had any effect on this gap at the end of this period, when the differential was again rising.

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Current Population Survey. March reports. "Full-Time, Year-Round Workers (All Races) by Median Income and Sex: 1955 to 2000." 21 March 2002.