Cornell labor economist and past LERA president and Employment
Policy Research Network researcher Francine Blau talks about the
past and present of women's making less money than men in an
Oct. 17 Atlantic magazine Q&A, "Why Are Women Paid Less?".
Here's the recent history of women's pay gap, per Blau: "Way
back in the 1950s, women earned around 60 percent on average of
what men earned when working year-round full time. And it stayed
right around at that level until about 1980. Then, particularly
in the decade of the 80s, there was really considerable progress
in narrowing the gender pay gap. Since then, there's been
further progress, but it's been a little bit more fitful, a
little less consistent. So in 1980, that figure was 60 percent.
In 1990 it was 72 percent. In 10 years, that was quite a change.
In 2000, it was 73 percent. And now it's about 77 percent. It
bounces around year to year." Blau also discusses discrimation,
the impact of motherhood on women's earning capability and the 9
percent of pay diff