October 29, 2008 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Women's earnings as a percentage of men's, 1979-2007

Between 1979 and 2007, the earnings gap between women and men narrowed for most age groups.

Women's weekly earnings as a percent of men's by age, workers aged 16 to 54 years, annual averages, 1979-2007
[Chart data—TXT]

The women's-to-men's earnings ratio among 35- to 44-year-olds, for example, rose from 58 percent in 1979 to 77 percent in 2007, and the ratio for 45- to 54-year-olds increased from 57 percent to 75 percent.

The earnings ratio for teenagers and for workers aged 65 and older fluctuated from 1979 to 2007, but their long-term trend has been essentially flat.

These data on earnings are from the Current Population Survey. Earnings data in this article are median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers. For more information see "Highlights of Women's Earnings in 2007," BLS Report 1008 (PDF 582K). 

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