10 Gender Wage Gap Statistics to Know in 2023

Most women (84%) are confident the gender wage gap exists but 37% of men are not sure of, or do not believe, there's a gender pay gap. When in doubt, data can tell a story that supersedes one's opinion.

Whether you’re unsure if the gender pay gap is real or want to quantify how wide it really is, read on for 10 gender wage gap statistics that show just how much work there still is to be done.

1. Women earn 84 cents for every dollar men earn

Women working full-time, year-round in the United States earn 16% less than men, costing them more than $400,000 over the course of a 40-year career. This gap increases to 23% when all earners (full time year-round + part time and part year) are taken into account, resulting in $11,782 in lost wages every year.

The gender pay gap varies by occupation and industry. For example, women in the legal profession earn 61 cents for every dollar earned by men, and women in the Finance and Insurance industry earn 77 cents to the dollar.

Read more: Equal Pay Day: The State of the Gender Wage Gap

2. AANHPI women earn 92 cents for every dollar white men earn

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women working full-time, year-round earn 8% less than white, non-Hispanic men in the United States.

That pay gap for AANHPI women widens to 20% for all earners — though it varies widely within the AANHPI community. Taiwanese women earn $1.08 for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men, but Nepalese and Bangladeshi women earn just 48 cents. This means that communities of AANHPI women are losing more than  $1 million over a lifetime as a result of the gender pay gap.

Read More: AANHPI Women's Equal Pay Day

3. Black women earn 67 cents for every dollar white men earn

Black women working full-time, year-round earn 33% less than white, non-Hispanic men — costing them $1,891 per month, $22,692 per year, and $907,680 over the course of a 40-year career.

The racial and gender pay gap widens further for all workers (including part-time), with Black women earning only 64 cents compared to their white, non-Hispanic counterparts.

This contributes to the racial wealth gap, impacting Black women and families for generations. Single Black women own $200 in wealth for every $28,900 single white men own and white families are nearly 3x more likely than Black families to receive an inheritance.

Learn more: When the Gender and Racial Wage Gap Collide: Black Women's Equal Pay Day

4. Latinas earn 57 cents for every dollar white men earn

Latinas working full-time, year-round earn 43% less than white, non-Hispanic men. This pay gap amounts to a loss of $2,477 every month, $29,724 every year, and $1,188,960 over a 40-year career.

The pay gap widens for all earners, with Latinas making just 54 cents for every dollar earned by their white, non-Hispanic colleagues. Median earnings for Latinas are $30,551 compared to $57,005 for a white, non-Hispanic man — accounting for a $26,454 difference each year.

Read more: Latina Equal Pay Day

5. Native American women earn 57 cents for every dollar white men earn

Native American women working full-time, year-round earn 43% of what white, non-Hispanic earn.

The wage gap widens for all earners, with Native American women earning 51 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men, resulting in a $25,253 difference every year.

The Native American women’s wage gap varies by many factors, including education level — though not in the way you’d expect. The wage gap for Native American women widens as they earn degrees. Native American women with a high school diploma experience a 36% wage gap compared to white men. Native American women with a Bachelor’s degree experience a 41% pay gap and those with an advanced degree experience a 43% gap.

Read more: Native Women's Equal Pay Day

6. Mothers earn 74 cents for every dollar fathers earn

Working mothers earn 26% less than working fathers.

The “motherhood penalty,” in which a mom’s wages fail to keep up with their peers when they have a child, is 15% of her income per child under age 5. This penalty can’t be explained by other factors like seniority or education and costs moms an estimated $161,000 to $600,000.

The motherhood penalty varies by race: 

• Black and Native American mothers face a 20% motherhood penalty
• Latina mothers see an 18% penalty
• Asian mothers experience a 13% penalty
• White mothers have a 10% penalty

Read more: Mom's Equal Pay Day: 4 Ways to Close the Motherhood Pay Gap

7. The controlled gender wage gap shows women earn 99 cents for every dollar men earn

The gender wage gap shrinks when controlled for things like job title, years of experience, industry, location, and other factors — but it doesn’t close. Women still only earn 99 cents, on average, for every dollar men earn for similar roles. In fact, women are offered lower salaries than men for the same job title at the same company 62% of the time.

The controlled wage gap is wider in some positions, including veterinarians, where women are paid 10% less than men. That equates to a $102,000 average salary for men, and a $91,300 average salary for women.

8. Executive-level women earn 72 cents for every dollar men earn

The gender pay gap widens as women progress in their careers. The uncontrolled wage gap shows that women in executive roles earn 72 cents for every dollar a man earns, while the controlled wage gap is 95 cents. 

The wage gap is wider within some intersectional groups. For example, Latinas at the executive level earn 65 cents for every dollar white men earn. Even when controlled for compensable factors, Latinas earn 91 cents for every dollar earned by white men.

9. Women in the LGBTQ+ community earn 87 cents for every dollar the typical worker earns

Women in the LGBTQ+ community experience an average 13% wage gap, though intersectionality creates additional disparities:

• LGBTQ+ Latinx women earn about 72 cents for every dollar that the typical worker earns
• LGBTQ+ Black women earn 85 cents for every dollar that the typical worker earns
• Transgender women earn about 60 cents for every dollar the typical worker earns

10. 28% of women have found that they were being paid less than a male colleague

One in four workers (23%) have learned that a colleague of a different gender was paid more — even though they had the same job and level of experience. This was more common among women (28%) than men (19%).

When workers learned of a pay disparity, 19% talked to other employees about it and 27% started looking for a new job.

Final thoughts on gender wage gap statistics

The data clearly shows the gender wage gap is real, and problematic. The uncontrolled wage gap shows the impact of women largely being hired into low-paying roles and industries. Meanwhile, many of their male peers are being offered higher starting salaries, being hired into better paying industries, and moving into leadership roles.

Further, the controlled gender wage gap is a clear signal of the biases that creep into the workplace and affect people from underrepresented groups. A great way to fight this inequity is with data. Track compensation metrics to watch for these biases playing out on your own team, and take steps to correct them during your regular compensation cycles. With conscious effort, you can achieve and maintain pay equity within your organization. It's long overdue.