The US gender pay gap widened for the second year in a row

The gender wage gap widened in 2024 for the second consecutive year, according to new figures released by the US Census Bureau.

Women working full-time earned a median salary equivalent to 81% of what their male counterparts earned in 2024, down from 83% the year prior, according to the report. The median man working full-time saw his earnings climb to $71,090, up 3.7% from the previous year, while the median salary for women stayed flat, at $57,520.

This is the first time the gender pay gap has widened for two years in a row—a worrying trend for advocates that hoped policies like pay transparency would help lessen this disparity.

Why the wage gap persists. Pay transparency laws that began taking effect in some states in the US about five years ago have spurred most employers to share information about how they pay their workers—and in turn, correct wage gaps within their organizations that can’t be explained by legitimate factors, like differences in experience or education.

But the gender wage gap persists in the US workforce due to a variety of factors that can’t be fixed by HR teams alone. Women are over-represented in low-paying occupations, and tend to take career breaks more frequently than men, which in turn translates to lower earnings over their lifetimes. They’re more likely to perform the lion’s share of housework and caregiving in their households, which may lead them to make decisions that could affect their wages, such as working part-time or prioritizing a flexible schedule.

Such disparities even cycle up to the C-suite, where compensation for executives in female-dominated positions—notably CHROs—trends lower, HR Brew previously reported. Women remain underrepresented in senior leadership roles, in part because they lack the proper support to ascend to higher levels in their organizations.

There’s a fear that “the gap will only continue to widen as DE&I programs and protections are cut, weakening the very structures designed to create equity,” Tracy Ariail Aldworth, board president with Women in Technology, wrote on LinkedIn.

Minding the gap. HR teams can consider certain benefits and programs to mitigate trends that perpetuate the gender pay gap, according to sources who’ve spoken with us previously. Subsidized childcare and flexibility, for example, are often cited as features that can help women stay in their jobs for longer, and move into higher-paying roles.

Being transparent about the tradeoffs that may come with certain career decisions, too, may help women make more informed decisions about their jobs.