EQUAL PAY DAY 2012: A Closer Look at the Wage Gap Between Men and Women
April 24th, 2012
Last week MEPC’s blog focused on Tax Day(April 17th). Equal Pay Day was also April 17th and this week we are focusing on the differences in wages between men and women across the country.
Earlier this year, MEPC release its State of Working report and looked at hourly wages for all workers. However, more recent data from the Census Bureau allows a comparison of annual earnings for a more limited sample of full-time workers.
The chart below details the gap in wages between men and women that persists in many Southern states. Across all industries women working full-time in Mississippi earned 75% of men working full-time in 2010. The gap is same in Alabama and Arkansas while North Carolina, Florida and Georgia all registered smaller wage gaps that the national norm.
While disparities between full-time earnings for men and women continue, women continue to make advances in educational attainment. Women over 25 years old in Mississippi are more likely than their male counterparts to have attained an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree or more.
This trend mirrors the nation where women are attaining post-secondary credentials at higher rates than men. Among Mississippi’s younger working-age population, the differences in educational attainment broaden. Thirty-seven percent of women between 25 and 34 years old have an associate’s degree or beyond compared to 26% of men in the same age range.
What about factors beyond educational attainment?
To continue Equal Pay Day coverage, an upcoming blog will look at wages and Mississippi industries and share national findings on women and wages.
Author: Sarah Welker, Policy Analyst
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