Pay gains for young women; inequality still seen

[Omaha Steve]

By HOPE YEN

WASHINGTON (AP) - About 75 percent of young women believe the U.S. needs to do more to bring about equality in the workplace, a new study finds, despite a narrowing pay gap and steady employment gains for women at higher levels of business and government.

Those women remain as pessimistic as their mothers and grandmothers regarding gender equality in the workplace, according to the report released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center.


Graphic shows Pew study results on workplace equality; 2c x 5 inches; 96.3 mm x 127 mm;


The study finds that women under 32 now make 93 percent of what young men earn, aided by women's higher rates of college completion. But the analysis of census and labor data also shows the gender pay gap will widen for women by their mid-30s, if the experience of the past three decades is a guide.

That widening gap is due in part to the many women who take time off or reduce their hours to start families. Other factors cited in the report are gender stereotyping, discrimination, weaker professional networks and women's hesitancy to aggressively push for raises and promotions, which together may account for 20 percent to 40 percent of the pay gap.

FULL story at link.