US gender wage gap narrows most since recession

The gender pay gap in the US narrowed last year, in its biggest decrease since the recession in 2007.

According to a Census Bureau report on Tuesday, women in 2012 earned 76.5 cents on average for every dollar that men earned. In 2013, this average amount for women had risen to 78.3 cents for every dollar earned by a man.

This is the first time in seven years that the pay gap between US men and women has narrowed by over a cent.

The improvement may reflect increased recent government efforts to combat gender equality, including the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act in 2009.

Solomon W. Polachek writes more about the gender wage gap in developed countries, offering reasons as to why such a gap still exists despite years of equal pay policies. He cites evidence to suggest that policies promoting greater day care can reduce the wage gap – but policies aimed at increasing women’s lifetime work can have more positive long-term effects.

Alternatively, Ulf Rinne discusses how anonymous job applications have the potential to reduce hiring discrimination. He does note, however, that this method cannot completely level the playing field for all workers.

Read more here.

Related articles:
Equal pay legislation and the gender wage gap, by Solomon W. Polachek
Anonymous job applications and hiring discrimination, by Ulf Rinne