AAUW National Educational Foundation (EF)

Behind the Pay Gap – EF Latest Research Report Released April 2007

In the report, Behind the Pay Gap, the AAUW Educational Foundation found that just one year after college graduation, women earn only 80 percent of what their male counterparts earn. Ten years after graduation, women fall further behind, earning only 69 percent of what men earn. Even after controlling for hours, occupation, parenthood, and other factors known to affect earnings, the research indicates that one-quarter of the pay gap remains unexplained and is likely due to sex discrimination. Over time, the unexplained portion of the pay gap grows.

The research also shows that ten years after graduation, college-educated men working full time have more authority in the workplace than do their female counterparts. Men are more likely to be involved in hiring and firing, supervising others, and setting pay.

The AAUW research also shows that this pay gap exists despite the fact that women outperform men in school – earning slightly higher GPAs than men in every college major, including science and mathematics.

"The persistence of the pay gap among young, college-educated, full-time workers suggests that educational achievement alone will not close the pay gap," said AAUW Director of Research Catherine Hill. "We need to make workplaces more family-friendly, reduce sex segregation in education and in the workplace, and combat discrimination that continues to hold women back in the workplace."

"AAUW is dedicated to improving gender equity in the workplace as well as in education," said AAUW Educational Foundation President Barbara O’Connor. "The findings from Behind the Pay Gap are telling and disturbing. They show that equity remains an issue for women today."

(Find additional information and request a free download of the report at   http://www.aauw.org/newsroom/presskits/payGap.cfm)