Illinois’ Gender Wage Gap Costs Women Nearly 20 Billion Per Year

Illinois’ Gender Wage Gap Costs the State’s Women Nearly $20 Billion Per Year, New Equal Pay Day Study Finds

Working women in Illinois make less than men costing the State
Working women in Illinois make less than men costing the State

“If the Gap Were Closed, Illinois Women Could Afford Food for Nearly Two Years, Seven More Months of Mortgage and Utilities, or Nearly 12 More Months of Rent Annually .”

Edited by Kai EL’ Zabar
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The average, Illinois woman employed full time, year round are paid just 79 cents for every dollar paid to men – a yearly pay gap of $10,754. Collectively that means, in total, women in Illinois lose nearly $20 billion every year. That  difference  is money that could strengthen the state economy and the financial security of Illinois women and families. This number includes the more than 602,000 Illinois households headed by women. A new analysis conducted by the National Partnership for Women & Families report  these findings and more for Equal Pay Day tomorrow.

The analysis spans all 50 states, all 435 congressional districts in the country, and the District of Columbia. It can be found at NationalPartnership.org/Gap. The full set of findings for Illinois is available here. These findings include that, for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men in Illinois, African American women, Latinas and Asian women who work full time, year round are paid 64 cents, 48 cents and 86 cents, respectively.

 

Successful women in Illinois are not paid equally for the same their male counterparts make for the same job
Successful women in Illinois are not paid equally for the same their male counterparts make for the same job

“This analysis is a sobering reminder of the serious harm the wage gap causes women and families all across the country,” said Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership. “At a time when women’s wages are so critical to the economic well-being of families, the country is counting on lawmakers to work together to advance the fair and family friendly workplace policies that would promote equal pay. There is no time to waste.”

According to the new analysis, if the gap between women’s and men’s wages in Illinois were eliminated, each woman who holds a full-time, year-round job in the state could afford to buy food for 1.6 more years, pay for mortgage and utilities for seven more months, or pay rent for nearly 12 more months. Basic necessities like these would be particularly important for the 31 percent of Illinois’ woman-headed households currently living below the poverty level.

Illinois is not the only state with a wage gap. In fact, every state and 98 percent of the country’s congressional districts have one. The National Partnership’s national analysis finds that the 10 states with the largest cents-on-the-dollar wage gaps in the country – from largest to smallest – are Louisiana, Utah, Wyoming, West Virginia, North Dakota, Alabama, Idaho, Oklahoma, Montana and Michigan. A ranking of all 50 states and the District of Columbia can be found here.

The gap is larger for African American women and Latinas who are paid 60 cents and 55 cents, respectively, for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men
       The gap is larger for African American women and Latinas who are paid 60 cents and 55 cents,   respectively, for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men

Nationally, women who are employed full time, year round are paid, on average, 79 cents for every dollar paid to men. For Asian women in the United States, the gap is smaller but persists. On average, Asian women are paid 84 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, although some ethnic subgroups fare much worse.
“It is unacceptable that the wage gap has persisted, punishing the country’s women and families for decades,” Ness continued. “Some state lawmakers have taken steps to address the issue by passing legislation to combat discriminatory pay practices and provide other workplace supports. It is past time for federal lawmakers to do the same. We need Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which is a common sense proposal that has languished for much too long.”
Women are the benefactors of new legislature to provide equal pay for the say job whether a man or woman performs the work.
Women are the benefactors of new legislature to provide equal pay for the say job whether a man or woman performs the work.

Currently before Congress, the Paycheck Fairness Act would close loopholes in the Equal Pay Act, help to break patterns of pay discrimination, and establish stronger workplace protections for women. The National Partnership argues that the bill, along with other supportive policies – such as paid sick days, paid family and medical leave, minimum wage increases, fair scheduling and protections for pregnant workers – are what is needed to close the gap and should be top priorities for lawmakers.

The National Partnership’s analysis of the wage gap was released in advance of Equal Pay Day on Tuesday – which marks how far into the new year women must work in order to catch up with what men were paid the year before. The analysis uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The findings for each state, along with state rankings, are available at NationalPartnership.org/Gap.
About the NPWF
The National Partnership for Women & Families is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group dedicated to promoting fairness in the workplace, access to quality health care and policies that help women and men meet the dual demands of work and family. More information is available at www.NationalPartnership.org.

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