Pay Gap Data Shows Women Falling Behind; AAUW Steps Up with Solutions

WASHINGTON, D.C. — AAUW is disappointed to see the newly released U.S. Census Bureau data showing that the gender pay gap has widened for the second consecutive year. In 2024, all women working full-time, year-round were paid 81 cents, and all earners (including part-time and seasonal workers) were paid 76 cents for every dollar paid to men. In annual income, women were paid $57,520, compared to $71,090 paid to men. This is not a minor fluctuation but a statistically significant setback that underscores a troubling trend: women working full time are falling further behind. 

“For the second year in a row, Census data shows the gender pay gap is widening — proof that inequities in the workplace are not going away on their own,” says AAUW CEO Gloria L. Blackwell. “Yet instead of addressing this crisis, this Administration is doing the opposite: systematically dismantling the very protections meant to ensure workplace equity. Women are being told, in no uncertain terms, that their rights and opportunities are expendable.” 

The data shows a grim reality and disparity across racial and ethnic groups: 

• Latinas working full time, year-round were paid 58 cents on the dollar, and only 54 cents when including all earners. 

• Black women earned 65 cents full time, but just 63 cents overall. 

• White women received 77 cents full time, and 73 cents overall. 

• Asian American women, the closest to parity, earned 96 cents full time and 85 cents across all earners. 

Stronger federal protections from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, robust immigration safeguards, and the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau provide essential support, but lasting change requires congressional action to strengthen workplace protections and advance pay equity at a structural level. 

“At AAUW, we refuse to let women be sidelined by inaction,” Blackwell continues. Through our Virtual Economic Empowerment Trainings, we provide training that helps women strengthen their salary negotiation skills, advocate for better benefits, and position themselves for advancement. While the pay gap can’t be negotiated away, we can empower women to demand more — and to claim the opportunities they deserve.”   

AAUW emphasized that while individual women cannot negotiate away systemic disparities, the organization is supporting individual women with the tools and resources they need to help negotiate their salaries for higher pay. Through its economic empowerment salary negotiation trainings, women learn strategies to strengthen their position when seeking fair pay and benefits. AAUW Start Smart is specifically designed for college women entering the job market, teaching effective salary negotiation techniques to boost confidence and negotiation skills. The first Work Smart training session of the fall will be held on September 16, with additional sessions to follow. Register here. 

###  

AAUW (American Association of University Women) is the nation’s leading organization for equity in higher education and women’s economic empowerment.  

Founded in 1881 by women who defied society’s conventions by earning college degrees, AAUW has since worked to increase women’s access, opportunity, and equity in higher education through research, advocacy, and philanthropy of over $146 million, supporting thousands of women scholars. Learn more at aauw.org.