Executive summary.
On June 25, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14035 (86 FR 34593), titled “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce.” To address any pay inequities and advance equal pay, section 12 of EO 14035 required the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to review Governmentwide regulations and, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, consider prohibiting the use of an applicant’s salary history during the hiring process to set pay or when setting pay for a current Federal employee. On January 30, 2024, OPM issued final regulations to advance pay equity in Governmentwide pay systems (89 FR 5737). OPM shared high-level gender and racial/ethnic group pay gap data for September 2021 in the supplementary information accompanying the regulations. This report shares more detailed pay gap data, primarily for September 2022.
The gender pay gap for the Federal Government’s civilian workforce in 2022 was 5.6 percent, an improvement from 5.9 percent in 2021. The Federal gender pay gap is far smaller than the national gender pay gap, which sits at 16 percent. 1 From 1992 to 2022, the pay gap for the Federal workforce has decreased from 24.5 percent to the current 5.6 percent. In addition, in recent years women in the Senior Executive Service, the senior-most leadership ranks of the Federal Government, are paid approximately the same as their male counterparts.
OPM also conducted analysis regarding pay gaps for groups of employees identified by both gender and race/ethnicity. OPM calculated pay gaps comparing (1) women to men in the same racial/ethnic group to understand disparities by gender and (2) men and women in each racial/ethnic group compared to White men to understand overlapping disparities by gender and race/ethnicity. This analysis revealed that pay gaps varied significantly depending on the specific population.
Many factors may contribute to the overall gender and race/ethnicity pay gaps in the Federal Government. In conducting its data analysis, OPM observed evidence of some of these factors at play. For example, more women than men occupy positions classified at lower General Schedule (GS) grades with lower pay, while more men than women occupy positions classified at higher GS grades with higher pay.
This report summarizes OPM’s key findings. More detailed data is available in the appendices.
U.S. Census Bureau. “Figure 6. Female-to-Male Earnings Ratio and Median Earnings of Full-Time, Year-Round Workers 15 Years and Older by Sex: 1960 to 2021.” https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/2022/demo/p60-276/figure6.pdf
As a result of EO 14035, OPM is building on previous work focused on the issue of gender pay equality. In 2014, OPM issued a Governmentwide Strategy to Advance Pay Equality in the Federal Government in response to a 2013 Presidential memorandum. 2 OPM calculated the gender pay gap, which is the percentage difference between the average salaries of men and women, for 1992, 2002, and 2012. OPM also collected information agencies provided in response to an OPM data call memorandum.
OPM worked with agencies to implement all the recommendations in the Governmentwide strategy. These actions are summarized in a 2015 memorandum. 3 OPM’s actions are also summarized in Appendix VI to GAO’s 2020 report “Gender Pay Differences: The Pay Gap for Federal Workers Has Continued to Narrow, but Better Data on Promotions Are Needed.” 4 OPM has periodically updated its pay gap data analysis since issuing the 2014 Governmentwide strategy.
OPM used data reported by agencies to two OPM central data systems for the data analyses described in this report. These information systems are used to support statistical analyses of Federal personnel management programs. Data from the Enterprise Human Resources Integration—Statistical Data Mart (EHRI-SDM) was used for the analyses of the workforce starting in 2012. The Central Personnel Data File (CPDF), the predecessor system to EHRI-SDM, was used for the analyses of the 1992 and 2002 workforce. Most of the analysis results in this report focus on September 2022 data. Information on EHRI-SDM coverage is available on OPM’s web site. 5
Both systems, EHRI-SDM and CPDF, are composed of two primary data files. The Status File documents the characteristics of employees (e.g., gender, race, salary, etc.) at a specific point in time. The Dynamics File documents personnel actions (e.g., accessions, separations, promotions, etc.) over a period of time. OPM’s analysis focused on data from the Status File.
OPM used certain data elements in CPDF and EHRI-SDM to define the population of interest. In general, the studied population was limited to—
OPM separately analyzed as distinct populations the General Schedule system and the Federal Wage System, the major pay systems covering white-collar employees and blue-collar employees, respectively. “White Collar” refers to employees with the PATCO occupational codes (professional, administrative, technical, clerical, other). “Blue Collar” refers to employees with a blue-collar occupational category code (trade, craft, and laboring occupations). OPM used the Pay Plan data element to identify employees in the core pay plans within those two systems--codes GS, GL, and GM for the General Schedule and codes WG, WL, WS, WD, and WN for the Federal Wage System. Since the employee population in the core General Schedule pay plans (GS, GL, GM) makes up approximately 77 percent of the total white-collar employee population in September 2022, the core General Schedule is of special interest. Accordingly, OPM also presents separate data for those core General Schedule pay plans. 6 As leaders in key positions just below the top Presidential appointees, we also present separate data for the Senior Executive Service. There is also some data for employees in Senior Level (SL) and Scientific or Professional (ST) positions.
OPM also used other data elements in CPDF and EHRI-SDM to define various subpopulations or subcategories. In this report, data elements used to create subpopulations are referred to as “factors.” Each data element or factor has a set of codes that define subpopulations within the context of the factor. For example, one factor is the employee’s agency. Codes identify different agencies. Each agency represents a subpopulation. For purposes of our study, we grouped together selected agencies—for example, smaller agencies were combined into a catch-all “other” category.
OPM used the following data elements as subpopulation-defining factors:
Detailed information regarding these data elements and associated codes for subpopulations can be found in the OPM Guide to Data Standards. 7
Data for the Asian racial/ethnic group is combined with data for the Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander racial/ethnic group.
OPM used the data element “Adjusted Basic Pay” in computing average salary rates for various subpopulations. Adjusted basic pay includes base pay plus any applicable locality payment or special rate supplement.
In comparing female salaries to male salaries, OPM used male salaries as the base for comparison. Thus, in this report, OPM expresses the average female salary as a percentage of the average male salary. For example, for the total Executive branch population in September 2022, the average female salary was 94.4 percent of the average male salary. The shorthand term used in this report for this percentage is the “female salary percentage.” In addition, the gender pay disparity or “pay gap” is expressed in this report as a percentage by (1) subtracting the average male salary from the average female salary and (2) dividing the resulting difference by the average male salary. If the female salary percentage is already computed, 100 percent is subtracted from the female salary percentage to derive the pay gap percentage. For example, if the female salary percentage is 94.4 percent, the pay gap is –5.6 percent (94.4 – 100 = –5.6). In other words, the average female salary is 5.6 percent below the average male salary. 8 (In this report, we show the overall pay gap as a positive number, since it is understood that the gap represents the degree to which female pay is below male pay, unless the female average salary exceeds the male average salary.)
Similarly, in comparing salaries for different racial/ethnic groups for males and females, generally OPM used White male salaries as the base for comparison. Thus, in this report, OPM expresses the average salary for a certain ethnic/racial group and gender as a percentage of the average White male salary. For example, for the total Executive branch population in September 2022, the average Black/African American female salary was 85.1 percent of the average White male salary. In addition, the pay disparity or “pay gap” for males and females in each racial/ethnic group is expressed in this report as a percentage by (1) subtracting the average White male salary from the average male or female salary for the racial/ethnic group and (2) dividing the resulting difference by the average White male salary. If the percentage of White male average salary is already computed, 100 percent is subtracted from that percentage to derive the pay gap percentage. For example, if the Black/African American female percentage of White male salary is 85.1 percent, the pay gap is –14.9 percent (85.1 – 100 = –14.9). In other words, the average Black/African American female salary is 14.9 percent below the average White male salary. (In this report, OPM shows the overall pay gap as a positive number, since it is understood that the gap represents the degree to which male and female pay for each racial/ethnic group is below White male pay, unless the male or female pay for the racial/ethnic group exceeds White male pay.) OPM also calculated gender pay gaps by racial/ethnic groups comparing females to males in the same racial/ethnic group using the calculation described in the previous paragraph.
Office of Personnel Management. “Governmentwide Strategy on Advancing Pay Equality in the Federal Government,” April 2014. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/reference-materials/reports/Governmentwide-Strategy-on-Advancing-Pay-Equality-in-the-Federal-Government.pdf
Office of Personnel Management. “Additional Guidance on Advancing Pay Equality in the Federal Government,” July 2015. https://www.chcoc.gov/content/additional-guidance-advancing-pay-equality-federal-government
Government Accountability Office. “Gender Pay Differences: The Pay Gap for Federal Workers Has Continued to Narrow, but Better Data on Promotions Are Needed,” December 2020. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-67 (GAO notes on its website that the one recommendation from the report for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was implemented and has been closed. There were no recommendations for OPM.)
Office of Personnel Management. “About Our Data (EHRI-SDM).” https://www.fedscope.opm.gov/datadefn/aehri_sdm.asp
The General Schedule system also includes pay plans GP and GR, which cover doctors and dentists receiving title 38 market pay. Since the pay levels for GP-GR employees are dramatically higher than those for GS-GL-GM employees, after the GP and GR codes took effect in 2006, we have not included them with the core General Schedule plans that were separately analyzed. All General Schedule doctors and dentists were included in the core system (GS-GL-GM) in study years 1992 and 2002.
Office of Personnel Management. “Guide to Data Standards”. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/data-analysis-documentation/data-policy-guidance/#url=Data-Standards
The gender pay gap would be slightly larger if the gap represented the amount by which the average female salary would need to increase to match the average male salary. For example, 5.6 percent divided by 94.4 percent equals 5.9 percent.
This section summarizes the detailed data tables in each of the appendices to this report. Selected, key data tables from the appendices are also shown as graphs in this section.
Federal gender pay gaps and related data over time.
Table 1a in Appendix 1 shows the female-to-male salary percentage for the Federal Government’s civilian workforce over time. The female-to-male salary percentage is the female average salary as a percentage of male average salary.
Table 1b in Appendix 1 shows the gender pay gaps for the Federal Government’s civilian workforce over time. The pay gap percentage is the percentage that female average salary is below male average salary.
The tables begin with data OPM collected for its 2014 Governmentwide Strategy on Advancing Pay Equality in the Federal Government (1992-2002-2012 study years) and continue with pay gap analysis OPM has conducted since then. The tables show data for White Collar, General Schedule, Senior Executive Service, Blue Collar, and Total Executive Branch populations. “White Collar” includes all white collar employees, including those in the General Schedule and Senior Executive Service. “Blue Collar” includes all blue collar employees, including those in the Federal Wage System.
The gender pay gap for the Executive branch has dramatically shrunk from 24.5 percent in 1992 to 5.6 percent in 2022. There have been large decreases for White Collar and General Schedule populations. The Blue Collar pay gap has fluctuated slightly over time and there is almost no pay gap in the Senior Executive Service in recent years. Table 1b gender pay gap data are represented in the graph below.
Female distribution & pay gaps by federal government civilian occupational group or pay system.
Appendix 2 shows overall data for White Collar, General Schedule, Senior Executive Service, Blue Collar, and Total Executive Branch populations for September 2022, including percentage of male and female employees (as shown in the graph below), male and female average salaries, and overall pay gaps.
While Senior Executive Service has almost no pay gap, the percentage of females in the Senior Executive Service is 39.3 percent, which is less than the percentage of females in the entire Executive Branch (44.1 percent). The Blue Collar pay system, which has the largest pay gap of the pay system categories studied (17.4 percent), has the smallest percentage of females (11.1 percent).
Source: EHRI-SDM. Nonseasonal, full-time, permanent Executive branch employees in a pay status.
Gender pay gaps by subpopulation.
Appendix 3 shows gender pay gaps by the following factors: age range, agency, GS grade level, and racial/ethnic group. Data for each of the four factors is shown in separate Tables 3a-3d in Appendix 3 . Each table provides data on (1) subpopulations as percentage of total population (e.g., what percentage each racial/ethnic group is of all racial/ethnic groups), (2) percentage of each subpopulation that is female, and (3) female average salary as percentage of male average salary for each subpopulation.
There are varying differences (some significant) in the female salary percentages across subpopulations. Given the significance of the occupation series factor (see Appendix 5 ), the differences in female salary percentages for subpopulations of non-occupation-related factors may reflect—to a significant degree—the varying occupational distribution of employees in the different subpopulations. For example, the female salary percentage was 97.8 percent (a pay gap of 2.2 percent) for the subpopulation of employees who are in the 25-34 age range and was 91.5 percent (a pay gap of 8.5 percent) for those in the 55-64 age range (see Table 3a of Appendix 3 and the graph below). These two subpopulations likely have significantly different occupational distributions. Similarly, differences in subpopulations for different agencies may largely reflect the difference in occupational distribution among those agencies. (See Table 3b of Appendix 3 .)
Under the GS Grade Level factor, we see that 10 out of 13 grade levels showed the female average salary as equal to or higher than the male average salary. (See Table 3c of Appendix 3 and the graph below.) The remaining female salary percentages were 99.3 or a less than 1 percent pay gap (grade 5 and grade 7) and 97.4 or a 2.6 percent pay gap (grade 8). These data indicate that, for each GS grade, females and males had close to the same average position in range (average step position). The explanation for the difference in the overall female salary percentage for the General Schedule of 91.1 percent (see Table 1a in Appendix 1) and these subpopulation percentages near 100 percent is that relatively more females were found in lower grades, which appears to reflect differences in occupational distribution. For grades 1-8, the number of females exceeded the number of males, with the percentage of employees who were female ranging from about 52 to 71 percent. At grades 9-15, the percentage of employees who were female ranged from about 42 to 50 percent. Grades directly link to pay ranges—i.e., there are generally lower pay rates and ranges at lower grades and higher pay rates and ranges at higher grades. Thus, grade is the primary driver of average pay levels.
Under the Racial/Ethnic Groups factor, we see the largest pay gap between males and females in the American Indian or Alaskan Native racial/ethnic group, which also had the smallest percentage of the total population. (See Table 3d of Appendix 3 and the graph below.) In the Black/African American racial/ethnic group, the female average salary was slightly higher than the male average salary.
Due to the small populations for grades 1, 2, and 3, those grades were merged to form a single subpopulation; resulting in 13 grade levels instead of 15.
Detailed data by occupational series.
Appendix 4 shows detailed data for subpopulations under the Occupational Series factor in 2022—i.e., the female/male average salary percentages and pay gaps for specific occupational series. Appendix 4 also shows the population-weighted average salary percentage as a contrast to the overall raw salary percentage. The population-weighted average can shed light on the effect of the varying male-female distribution across occupational series.
The population-weighted average salary percentages were 98.0 percent for All White Collar (Table 4a of Appendix 4 ), 98.2 percent for the General Schedule (Table 4c of Appendix 4 ), 94.9 percent for Blue Collar employees (Table 4e of Appendix 4 ), and 97.8 percent for the Executive branch (Table 4g of Appendix 4 ). These percentages were close to 100 percent and above the corresponding overall raw female salary percentages. This indicates that male-female distributions across the occupational series groups appear to explain much of the overall gender pay disparity. Appendix 4 also summarizes data on female/male salary percentages by occupational group. For White Collar employees, for 94 out of the 330 occupational groups (28 percent), the female average salary equaled or exceeded the male average salary (i.e., equal to or greater than 100 percent). For an additional 153 occupational groups (46 percent), the female salary percentage was 95-99.9 percent. For 83 occupational groups (25 percent), the female salary percentage was less than 95 percent. (See Table 4b of Appendix 4 .)
For the General Schedule, for 86 out of the 313 occupational groups (27 percent), the female average salary equaled or exceeded the male average salary (i.e., equal to or greater than 100 percent). For an additional 156 occupational groups (50 percent), the female average salary percentage was 95-99.9 percent. For 71 occupational groups (23 percent), the female salary percentage was less than 95 percent. (See Table 4d of Appendix 4. )
For Blue Collar employees, for 33 out of the 142 occupational groups (23 percent), the female average salary equaled or exceeded the male average salary (i.e., equal to or greater than 100 percent). For an additional 58 occupational groups (41 percent), the female average salary percentage was 95-99.9 percent. For 51 occupational groups (36 percent), the female salary percentage was less than 95 percent. (Data is redacted when occupations have fewer than 10 females.) (See Table 4f of Appendix 4 .)
For Executive branch employees, 128 out of the 471 occupational groups (27 percent), the female average salary equaled or exceeded the male average salary (i.e., equal to or greater than 100 percent). For an additional 210 occupational groups (45 percent), the female average salary percentage was 95-99.9 percent. For 133 occupational groups (28 percent), the female salary percentage was less than 95 percent. (See Table 4h of Appendix 4 .)
Summary of population-weighted averages by factor.
Appendix 5 shows a summary of female average salary as a percentage of male average salary for various factors, where the percentage is a population-weighted average that reflects the relative size of the subpopulations for each factor.
For example, for the Age factor, there are age ranges (e.g., 25-34, 35-44) that define subpopulations for the factor. For each subpopulation, female average salary is expressed as a percentage of male average salary. A weighted average is computed using the size of each subpopulation as a percentage of the total population. This weighted average can shed light on the effect of the varying male-female distribution across subpopulation categories. The population-weighted average should be compared to the overall raw average for the given snapshot date.
The factor based on occupational series produced the highest population-weighted averages. (See also the graph below.) In 2022, the weighted average for the Occupational Series factor of 98.0 percent for White Collar employees, which is about 7 percentage points above the corresponding overall raw average of 90.5 percent (see Table 5b of Appendix 5 ). This data suggests that specific occupation series explain much of the gender pay disparity.
After the occupation series factor, the Race/Ethnic categories factor produced the highest population-weighted average for White Collar and General Schedule employees. OPM studied pay gaps by racial/ethnic group separately. (See Appendices 6-11.)
Male and female pay gaps relative to white males by racial/ethnic group.
Appendix 6 shows male and female average salaries for each racial/ethnic group and pay gaps relative to White males for White Collar, General Schedule, Senior Executive Service, Senior Level/ Scientific or Professional, Blue Collar, and Total Executive Branch populations in September 2022.
In the Executive Branch, the average salary for males and the average salary for females in the Asian & Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander racial/ethnic group exceeded the average salary for White Males. The pay gaps for males and females in the other racial/ethnic groups ranged from 5.6 percent for White females to 26.2 percent for American Indian/Alaskan Native females. (See Table 6a of Appendix 6 .)
In the General Schedule, the average salary for males in the Asian & Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander racial/ethnic group exceeded the average salary for White males. The pay gaps for other males and females in the other racial/ethnic groups compared to White males ranged from 1.0 percent for Asian & Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander females to 27.6 percent for American Indian/Alaskan Native females. (See Table 6b of Appendix 6 .)
For White Collar employees, the average salary for males and females in the Asian & Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander racial/ethnic group exceeded the average salary for White Males. The pay gaps for males and females in the other racial/ethnic groups compared to White males ranged from 9.6 percent for White females to 28.8 percent for American Indian/Alaskan Native females. (See Table 6c of Appendix 6.)
For Blue Collar employees, the average salary for males in the Asian & Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander racial/ethnic group exceeded the average salary for White males. The pay gaps for other males and females in the other racial/ethnic groups compared to White males ranged from 0.7 percent for Other (more than one race) males to 29.3 percent for American Indian/Alaskan Native females. (See Table 6d of Appendix 6.)
For the Senior Executive Service, pay gaps ranged from 0.5 percent for Black/African American males to 3.5 percent for Other (more than one race) males compared to White males. (See Table 6e of Appendix 6 .)
For Senior Level/Scientific or Professional employees, the average salary for Asian & Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander females exceeded the average salary for White males. Pay gaps for the other racial/ethnic groups compared to White males ranged from 0.3 percent for Asian & Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander males and Hispanic/Latino males to 2.7 percent for Hispanic/Latino females. Some data is not shown due to small population size. (See Table 6f of Appendix 6 .)
Not shown due to small population size
Summary of male and female distributions in each racial/ethnic group.
For each analyzed population (Executive branch, SES, and SL/ST), Appendix 7 shows male and female employment counts in each racial/ethnic group, percentage of males in each racial/ethnic group, percentage of females in each racial/ethnic group, the percentage of the total population that is in each racial/ethnic group, and the distribution of males and females in each racial/ethnic group across the total population.
About 61 percent of Executive branch employees identified as belonging to the White racial/ethnic group. About 19 percent of Executive branch employees identified as belonging to the Black/African American racial ethnic group. The other racial/ethnic groups each comprised less than 10 percent of the Executive branch population. (See Table 7a of Appendix 7 .)
There is less diversity in the Senior Executive Service and Senior Level/Scientific or Professional populations. About 74 percent of the Senior Executive Service and 82 percent of the Senior Level/Scientific or Professional population identified as belonging to the White racial/ethnic group, respectively. In addition, the percentage of those populations that are male was also higher compared to the Executive branch as a whole (61 percent of the Senior Executive Service population and 71 percent of the Senior Level/Scientific or Professional population are male, respectively, compared to 56 percent of the Executive branch population that are male). (See Table 7b and Table 7c of Appendix 7 .)
In the Executive branch, there are more females than males in the American Indian/Alaskan Native and Black/African American racial/ethnic groups. The other racial ethnic groups have more males than females. (See Table 7a of Appendix 7 .)
Population-weighted average percent of white male salary for each racial/ethnic group.
Appendix 8 shows averages that are weighted based on White Collar occupational series population percentages. These are calculated by dividing the number of employees in a given racial/ethnic group who are in each occupation by the total number of employees in the given racial/ethnic group; each population percentage is then multiplied by the Percent-of-White Male Average Salary for each occupation and all the results are summed to derive the population-weighted average percent-of-White-male average salary. Appendix 8 also shows corresponding pay gap percentages derived by subtracting the population-weighted average percent-of-White-male average salary from 100 percent.
In most cases, the averages that are weighted based on occupation population percentages are greater than the corresponding raw percentages of White male average salary, resulting in smaller pay gaps. For example, the White Collar occupation population-weighted average pay gap for American Indian/Alaskan Native females relative to White males is 8.1 percent compared to the raw pay gap of 28.8 percent relative to White males. (See Appendix 6 , Table 6c.) This data suggests that the distribution of employees across occupation series explains some of the gender and racial/ethnic pay disparity.
Number and percentage of gs employees by grade and racial/ethnic group.
Appendix 9 shows the number and percentage of General Schedule employees at various grades by each racial/ethnic group. In other words, the percentages represent the percent of employees out of the total number in a given racial/ethnic group that are at a given grade. For example, 20 percent for White employees at GS-13 means that 20 percent of White employees are in the GS-13 grade. GS-12 is the most populous grade for each racial/ethnic group.
There is a higher concentration of employees at lower GS grades in the American Indian/Alaskan Native racial/ethnic group than appears in the other racial/ethnic groups. This data suggests that higher employment at the lower grades partly explains the large pay gap for the American Indian/Alaskan Native racial/ethnic group compared to White males.
*Graph represents data found in Appendix 9
Gaps for gs employees for each racial/ethnic group by grade level.
For each racial/ethnic group and gender at each General Schedule grade, Appendix 10 shows the male average salary, female average salary, percent of White male average salary, and pay gaps relative to White males. The pay gaps varied depending on the subpopulation and grade level compared. We note that differences in average salary at various grades can reflect various factors, including (1) use of discretionary authority to set a newly hired employee's salary above step 1, (2) use of quality step increases, (3) how long the employee has been in the grade (which may relate to the employee's age and/or to whether the grade is a full performance level for the employee's occupation) and (4) whether the grade is a level in an employee's career ladder (which means the employee will generally be in that grade for 1-2 years and is more likely to have a lower step in that grade). Certain occupations have different career ladders and full performance levels; thus occupational distribution may explain some of the gaps between racial/ethnic group by GS grade level. In many cases, there is no pay gap for a subpopulation when compared to While males or the average salary of the subpopulation and gender exceeded the average salary of White males. For example—
Pay gaps and population weighted averages for each racial/ethnic group by white collar occupational series.
Appendix 11 shows detailed data for subpopulations under the Occupational Series factor in 2022 (i.e., occupational series). This appendix also shows the population-weighted average percentage as a contrast to the overall raw percentage. (See discussion under Appendix 4.) The pay gaps (if any) varied depending on the subpopulation and occupational series. A high-level summary of pay gaps by subpopulation and occupational series group is provided below.
Regularly conducting pay equity audits to assess whether similarly situated individuals are equitably compensated for similar work is part of the equity roadmap contained in the Biden-Harris Administration Governmentwide DEIA strategic plan. 10 OPM will continue to periodically analyze Governmentwide pay gap data. OPM will also be updating the guidance issued in 2015 11 on conducting gender data analysis to include also examining data by racial/ethnic group, similar to this Governmentwide data analysis.
The Federal Government strives to be a model employer, one that values DEIA. OPM will take further actions to support reducing gender and racial/ethnic pay gaps in the Federal Government, including submitting a report to the President describing any changes to Government-wide and agency-specific compensation practices recommended and adopted pursuant to section 12 of EO 14035.
The White House. “Governmentwide Strategic Plan to Advance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce,” November 2021. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Strategic-Plan-to-Advance-Diversity-Equity-Inclusion-and-Accessibility-in-the-Federal-Workforce-11.23.21.pdf
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Men are more likely to reveal previous pay in job interviews.
Salary history bans, or laws that prohibit employers from asking about prospective employees’ pay at previous jobs, have been implemented in 21 states to address pay gaps. However, a new study finds a significant limitation to the bans—men are disclosing their previous salaries anyway.
Asking job candidates about their pay at previous jobs is problematic because women have historically been paid less than men. A woman underpaid in a previous job could be forced to carry the lower wage forward if she had to disclose her salary history. The goal of bans that prevent employers from asking about previous salaries is to prevent this perpetuation of inequality.
Although bans on salary history forbid employers from seeking information on past pay, applicants are not prevented from disclosing this information on their own. This could benefit those who have been well-compensated in the past, and they might reveal this information to gain a competitive edge. Employers, recognizing this, may start to make assumptions about candidates who don't mention their salary history, possibly viewing them as less likely to have been highly paid in the past.
In the new study, researchers surveyed close to 1,000 U.S. workers. A collaboration between Columbia University, Cornell University and Tufts University professors, the results have been posted on the IZA -Institute for Labor Economics website for discussion.
When employers don’t ask about salary history, the study found that men are about 12% more likely than women to volunteer their previous pay. The authors label this difference the “gender disclosure gap.” Generally, the higher someone’s previous pay, the more likely they were to volunteer their pay history. However, even well-paid women were less likely than their male counterparts to disclose their previous pay if not directly asked.
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When job candidates disclose their past salary, it's a bell that can't be unrung. The researchers explain that in states like New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, where laws prohibit employers from inquiring about salary history, employers can still verify any voluntarily provided salary information. This verified information can then be used to set wages or make hiring decisions, potentially impacting the fairness and objectivity the bans aim to promote. Even in states where voluntarily disclosed salary information cannot be legally verified, the information remains in the employer's mind and may influence their pay or hiring decisions.
One troubling study finding for advocates of the bans was the rise in voluntary salary disclosures over time. The researchers conducted two surveys, the first in 2019 and again 1.5 years later. The unprompted volunteering of salary histories increased by 6-8% over this time. The researchers speculate that this could be related to the implementation of bans, but can’t confirm this from their data.
Perhaps most worrisome is the researchers’ hypothesis that employers will deduce that those who do not disclose their salary must have been paid less in the past. If men typically reveal their past wages more than women, this would result in an inclination to assume that women had been paid less in their former positions. The researchers did not address this question directly and suggest it’s a valuable avenue for future research.
The results of this study call into question the effectiveness of laws that make it illegal to ask about salary history in interviews. “Our results suggest that laws prohibiting employers from asking about pay history might not be reliable ways to ensure pay equity at the point of entry,” the researchers write.
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Introduction.
The gender gap refers to the difference between the average earnings of men and women in a specific workforce. The measure of the gender gap has been internationally accepted. It has, over the years, been used to measure the position of women in the economy by comparing them to men. Even though some people refute the gender pay gap, multiple types of research have proved its existence. Worldwide average results on the existing pay gap revealed that for every dollar a man makes, a woman makes 77 cents. The inequality in gender payments has, in the long run, proved to cause massive effects on women, whereby most end up retiring in poverty. The gender pay gap has been demonstrated in all countries and employment sectors. Many researchers have continued to argue that the gender pay gap has made it hard for women to accumulate wealth and compete with their men counterparts. The gender pay gap is, therefore, a complex issue that requires robust solutions that are based on inclusivity.
According to the Australian government (2), the gender pay gap is experienced by women during their ingestion in the workforce. The gender pay gap, in addition to other economic factors, makes women less likely to make career advances and secure savings for their future, making it more likely that they might end up living in poverty in old age. Gender pay gap results from cultural workplace problems that include negative trends in undervaluing the significant contributions of women in their places of work (Australian government 3). The undervaluing of women in their work areas leads to their underrepresentation in senior and executive management roles. The existing gender pay gap in Australia is due to bias and discrimination during the hiring and paying process. Additionally, the gender pay gap has proved to be a result of women and men working in different industries in different jobs, with women-dominated industries attracting lower wages.
Additionally, the United States also faces the challenge of the gender pay gap. Even though the government has proved to be working towards bridging the gender pay gap, women in the United States continue to receive little annual remuneration compared to Men (Barroso and Brown 2). A report released in 2020 revealed that women received 84 percent of the 100 percent earned by men. According to (Barroso and Brown 4), the gender gap in the United States is due to many underlying factors such as educational attainment, occupational segregation, and work experience. Over the few years, women have proved to try to bridge the gender pay gap by venturing into male-dominated jobs and professions. However, the number that ventures in traditionally male-dominated careers are few as their more significant number is represented in lower-paying jobs, which further explains the gender pay gap.
Research through the use of surveys on the five American based medical related career fields revealed the existence of a gender pay gap. The medical field occupations under scrutiny included; physicians, nurses, surgeons, healthcare practitioners, technical and healthcare support, and direct care jobs (Barry 4). The American Community Survey revealed through public microdata that women received lower occupational wages in all medical careers except the physician occupation. Additionally, the research proved the existence of a negative growth among women compared to men, a trend that further contributes towards widening the gender pay gap in most medical-related careers.
The gender pay gap was also witnessed in a nonprofit organization. According to (Finley et al. 1362), women in nonprofit organizations recorded a pay that was 8.9 percent lower than that of men. Some nonprofit organizations are, however, in a bid to close the gender pay gap by allowing negotiations and ensuring equal compensation across all genders. Additionally, Finley et al. (1367) argue that the labor force participation rates and risk preferences are some of the highest contributing factors to the gender pay gap.
Additionally, according to Magda et al. (2238), there exists a higher gender pay gap in foreign-owned firms compared to domestically-owned firms. The gender pay gaps vary according to the jobs involved; however, the most significant gaps are often witnessed on top and at the bottom. Also, women’s job returns are much lower than men’s in domestic firms; wage premia widen within-firm wage distribution, a factor that has further led to the widening of the gender pay gap.
In many countries, women receive less pay than men. Pay discrimination exists in most employment dimensions, and much evidence supports the allegation. Therefore, it is time to face the facts and find probable solutions for the gender pay gap epidemic. Governments and individuals have acknowledged the existence of gender pay gaps. In some instances, the gender pay gap is witnessed due to unavoidable factors such as level of education and experience. However, in other instances, the gender pay gap is being witnessed due to the continued workplace cultures that undermine the role of women in places of work and therefore end up discriminating against them during the section process. The gender pay gap has proved to have long-term effects on women because they cannot carry out career advancement and save a little for the future, a factor that contributes to their poverty during retirement days. The government should therefore take the matter with the utmost seriousness it deserves and ensure the gender pay gap has been bridged to ensure gender equality.
Barroso, Amanda, and Anna Brown. “Gender Pay Gap in U.S. Held Steady in 2020.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 8 June 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/25/gender-pay-gap-facts/.
Barry, Janis. “Real wage growth in the U.S. health workforce and the narrowing of the gender pay gap.” Human resources for health 19.1 2021: 1–9.
Finley, Andrew R., Curtis M. Hall, and Amanda R. Marino. “Negotiation and executive gender pay gaps in nonprofit organizations.” Review of Accounting Studies 27.4 2022: 1357–1388.
Government, Australian. “What Is the Gender Pay Gap?” WGEA, 2018, https://www.wgea.gov.au/the-gender-pay-gap
Magda, Iga, and Katarzyna Sałach. “Gender pay gaps in domestic and foreign-owned firms.” Empirical Economics 61.4 (2021): 2237-2263.
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Late last year, leaked emails from the Sony hack revealed that Jennifer Lawrence (and costar Amy Adams ) made less money from their film American Hustle than their male counterparts. The 25-year-old actress, who has never been one to shy away from saying what’s on her mind , had remained quiet on the salary controversy. This morning, however, she tackled the wage gender gap in Hollywood with a new essay for the Lenny newsletter .
In her piece, “Why Do These Dudes Make More Than Me?” Lawrence explained that she initially hesitated to speak on this particular issue because she doesn’t like to join conversations that “feel like they’re trending” (Equal pay has, after all, been all the rage in Hollywood .) But, after realizing that with talk comes change, she finally decided to open up on her experience with wage inequality.
Lawrence begins by acknowledging that her problems are hard to relate to, but regardless of the size of her paycheck, she has suffered a gender bias . Not only did Lawrence make less than Bradley Cooper , Jeremy Renner, and Christian Bale for American Hustle , but as the highest-paid actress in the world, she’s also still trailing behind highest-earning actor, Robert Downey, Jr. (Downey, Jr. made $80 million, while Lawrence earned $52 million.) In her piece, she blames herself for being a poor negotiator and writes that the fear of seeming “difficult” and “spoiled” kept her from pushing for a better deal in the past. Lawrence ends the essay by saying that she’s tired of choosing to seem likable over getting what she deserves.
It’s almost funny that one of the world’s most popular movie stars was scared to come off as unlikable. This fear has been an issue many other powerful women have had to deal with in the past. Recall last year’s “ Ban Bossy ” campaign from Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, who started the movement after saying she was tired of hearing the word being used as a derogatory term for decisive women. And who can forget the vitriol (and subsequent online threats) Emma Watson received after she proudly declared herself a feminist during her powerful U.N. speech .
While words like bossy and feminist have long carried negative connotations, Lawrence’s essay also highlights other potentially problematic terms, such as difficult and spoiled . The actress referenced an instance when she offended a man by giving her opinion in a clear and “no-bullshit way.” “I’m over trying to find the ‘adorable’ way to state my opinion and still be likable!” she wrote. “Fuck that.”
The actress has since learned her lesson. This summer, Lawrence secured a deal for her upcoming film, Passengers , in which she makes considerably more money than her costar Chris Pratt . Lawrence’s negotiating feat, along with today’s Lenny essay, shows it’s important for an actress, especially America’s sweetheart, to say—curses and all—exactly what’s on her mind.
Watch Jennifer Lawrence nail the awkward interview.
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Can’t find a perfect paper?
Updated 17 April 2021
Subject Human Rights , Racism
Downloads 42
Category Social Issues , Sociology
Topic Gender Stereotypes , Gender Wage Gap , Segregation
The Gender Wage Gap is the distinction between the average weekly full-time equivalent wages of women and men, expressed as a percentage of men's income (Miller, 2017). This disparity is a product of several variables that determine the place and role of women in society, namely social, family and stereotypes. These social stereotypes determine which job women and men can perform and which can not perform. Industrial segregation is characterized by the same stereotypes as men and women who work in various industries and occupational segregation, that is, those who work in different occupations. According to IWPR’s report women are almost half of the workforce they are the sole or co-breadwinner in half of American families with children and they receive more graduate degrees than men, yet, on average, women continue to earn considerably less than men (Fact Sheet,, 2017). Does this simply mean women choose low-paying jobs compared to men? Do women work only part-time hence the low income? Does sex, race and gender discrimination influence how much women are paid at the work place? This paper seeks to answer the aforesaid questions and identify the gender bias that exists at work place that results in women earning less than men.Keywords: Gender pay gap, occupational segregation, discrimination.The History of Gender Wage BillAccording to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which collects data on earnings in the UK, the average pay of women working full-time was only 90.6% of men’s pay in 2016. This means that compared to men, women stopped earning on the 10th November 2016 – they were effectively working for no money after this date, which is referred to as Equal Pay Day (Anitha, 2017). The reality of the matter is when women are earning the plight of their families is at stake especially for single mothers who are sole providers for their families. The revolution of equal pay in the UK started in the 1920s and 30s, state policy in the UK reflected the common practice of lower wages for women, both in pay rates and in the lower rates of unemployment benefit, to which they were entitled (Anitha, 2017). It is in this era that women activists started campaigning for equal pay among men and women and shamed the injustices experienced by women at work places. Women groups, trade unions and women’s suffrage had to mobilize working women to fight for their rights and demand equal employment benefits compared to their male counterparts. The issue of equal pay was again raised again and again and it became an increasingly articulated demand by trade unions and women’s organizations from 1950s onwards (Anitha, 2017).The good news is that the gender wage gap is shrinking, if slowly, in comparison to 1970, white women earned 70 cents on the dollar but, now, women are more educated and more experienced, and society in general is more aware of the gap than ever before (Anitha, 2017). Thus global companies like Companies like Salesforce and Pintrest have consequently made global headlines promising to close the Wage gap in their own capacity. The discrepancy in the Wage Gap came as a result of societal stereotypes who assumed that generally men are ambitious than women, that women’s place is care giving, that is having babies and raising a family, some argued that women willingly opt for low-paying jobs compared to men all these allegations are fallacies that have been proved wrong over the course of time.The provisions regarding equal pay are now in the Equality Act 2010 and according to this Act, men and women are entitled to equal pay and conditions if they are doing the same job; like work (work that is the same or broadly similar); work rated as equivalent (different work, but which is rated under a job evaluation scheme as equivalent); or work of equal value (that is, work that requires similar effort, skill and decision-making (Anitha, 2017).Gender Wage Gap Is a Societal ProblemWage equality isn’t and should not only be a woman’s issue but a concern the society should care about. It is not the choice of women to be women better still it is not their choice to be paid way less than men but that is exactly what happens. Are women being punished simply for being women? Is the society okay with that? In a response to the gender gap, the UK Government published a booklet called “negotiating your salary.” It claims to help women “understand the secrets to success in negotiation” and the Minister responsible at the time said:“I want women to feel able to hold employers to account if they feel they are not being paid the same as their male colleagues and I hope this new booklet will be an important tool in helping them do that” (McCormack, 2015). Equality aside the pay gap isn’t economically fit as research as shown that companies perform better when more women hold leadership and managerial positions. For example, CNBC quotes a 2011 survey by Catalyst showing that company boards made up of 19 to 44 percent women achieved 26 percent more return on invested capital than those firms with no women board members (McCormack, 2015). Sadly the pay gap is seen even in the family setting, whereby the boy child is seen to be favored in terms of the allowance allocated to him by the parents compared to the girl child.According to a research conducted in Australia by Gai McGrath, Westpac’s general manager of retail banking confirmed that boys earned 6.6 percent more pocket money than girls, he confirmed that paying girls less pocket money than boys “sends a powerful message that girl’s and women’s work isn’t as valuable as that of boy’s.” (McCormack, 2015). Radical Actions To Close Pay Gap In FutureBelieve or not according to a report by the World Economic Forum best known for its high-profile gathering each year in Davos, Switzerland, found that economic disparity between women and men around the world was rising even though the gap was closing on other measures, such as education (Treanor, 2016). The same report predicted that it could take 118 years for economic parity to be achieved as the economic gap is caused by a number of factors, including women being paid almost half of what men receive, working on average 50 minutes a day longer and having a much slimmer chance of reaching senior roles (Treanor, 2016).There are a number of benefits derived from closing the pay gap, namely;Equal job opportunities and social justice – By closing the pay gap companies can create a cohesive organization where all parties are treated as equals. Valuing all employees, that is, male and females equally can greatly motivate them to perform better and enhance financial independence. When women are empowered, their families and society at large is empowered.Greater profitability to the company and the economy at large – Women should be given an equal opportunity as men to contribute to the growth of the economy and be compensated equally as men. Women are unexploited potential in the labor force, and companies should take good advantage of that and utilize women skills, however they should ensure they handsomely compensate them for services rendered. Beneficial to both employer and employee – It is pivotal for any serious organization to ensure they adhere to equal pay on all its employees for profit maximization and productivity. According to (Syed & Kramar, 2013), in the recent decades, significant demographic changes such as, increased women participation have placed greater pressure on both governments and the private sector to initiate and implement creative solutions to train, integrate and retain a rapidly changing and diverse working population. The traditional approach of identifying pay gap is based upon identification of gender bias in a particular industry however wider analysis has shown how the problem is industry based, rather than job based (Cox, 2012). All jobs in feminized industries tend to be lower paid than similar ones in male-dominated industries; unfortunately, the reverse doesn’t happen in masculinized industries, gender gaps are highest in industries such as finance and mining (Cox, 2012).According to a report prepared by (Cox, 2012), shows that fields dominated by women—such as nursing, social work, and teaching are typically less compensated than fields that are predominantly male, like finance. This has less to do with the skills involved and more to do with gendered preconceptions of what kind of work is valuable (Cox, 2012).Ways To Eliminate Pay GapThrough Pay Transparency, especially top management. Transparency answers any concerns arising relating to pay gap at work places despite of gender. Case Example: ‘Transparency is a core tenet at data analytics startup SumAll, it’s what’s helped the four-year old company grow at a rapid clip, according to its cofounder and CEO Dane Atkinson. He says SumAll has realized 1000% growth each year of operation and has amassed 350,000 clients’ (Dishman, 2017).Equal pay to all employees, who are in the same job bracket. Companies should ensure they accord women employees with the respect they do their male counter parts. Women need to have a sense of belonging in the company. Male colleagues should also ensure they treat their female colleagues as team mates and work together harmoniously for the greater good of the firm.Pay Gap TheoriesThere are various theories used to thoroughly explain the origin of pay gap and discrimination at work place, namely:The human capital Model- Gender differences in qualifications have been analyzed within the human capital model, which basic idea is that every person has some form of human capital (Grybaite, 2006). This simply means the skills and abilities acquired through trainings, education and experience. This further determines the earnings the employees get. Gender roles also affect the time women have for paying work , because traditionally the place of women is at home, hence they are expected to take care of household chores before they go to work. This further limits the time and energy they have to work for pay. According to human capital critics, women and men cannot be studied as autonomous individuals and the different conditions they face in their working life must be put in material and social context (Grybaite, 2006).Labor Market Discrimination- the portion of the gap that is not due to gender differences in qualifications is generally presumed to due to labor market discrimination (Grybaite, 2006). It’s good to note that skilled workers are paid better than unskilled workers. However economic discrimination arises when identical workers receive different pay doing the same job, or are given different chances of employment or promotion (Grybaite, 2006). This simply means women are paid lesser than men for the same work performed. The standard economic analysis of discrimination is based on Gary Becker work, who assumed that some individuals have a taste for discrimination (Grybaite, 2006). Becker analysis of discrimination is inlayed within the convectional economic analysis of utility-maximizing firms that often straiten their behavior (Grybaite, 2006). Crowding Model- developed by Barbara Bergmann is useful to understand sex inequality in labor market and consequently pay gap, but this theory does not answer the important question as to why female jobs are crowded (Grybaite, 2006). For firms to be competitive they ought to treat all their employees equally.Conclusion There has been narrowing of the gap in gender pay from 1980, especially amongst younger employees, nevertheless, it still continues. For instance, an analysis by Pew Research Center shows that women grossed 83 percent if what men were paid for both part-time and full-time US employees. On the basis of this approximation, an additional 44 work days would be required for women to gross what men got in 2015. Comparatively, women grossed 80 percent of what men got in 2015 while examining year-round, full-time employees according to US Census Bureau. Nonetheless, in 2015, the wage gap is less for individuals aged between 25-34. Females in this group grossed 90 cents for each dollar earned by a man in within a similar age group (Blau et al., 2015). The approximated 17 percent gap in gender pay for every worker in 2015 reduced from 1980's 36 cents. The gap for young females has narrowed over time even more. Thus, in the 80s women grossed 67 percent of what men earned, in comparison to 2015's 90 percent. But why is there persistence of gap in gender pay? A 2013 PEW research found out that women are most likely to claim that they took leave from their professions to care for their families. Such kind of interruptions and breaks usually have an effect on earnings in the long-run. Roughly, 4 in 10 mothers claimed that at some time in their career, they took considerable time off (39 percent) or decreased their work hours (forty two cent) to care for family members or child. Roughly about twenty seven claimed they had left work altogether for taking care of such domestic duties. Less men claimed the same (Blau et al., 2015).Although females have raised their positions in well-remunerating careers traditionally men's domain, for example managerial and professional jobs, women in entirety continue being overrepresented in poorly paying careers, and this might also lead to gender disparities in pay. Some aspects of the pay disparity might also be because of gender discrimination. Women, in a 2013 survey were about two times as likely as men to claim they had faced gender discrimination at work. Moreover, both women and men experience inequalities at their place of work-with 77 percent of women and 63 percent of men claiming that there is need to review the gender pay gap . Even as labor activists are advocating for equal wage, women should go a step further and ensure they negotiate for their salaries, increment and even promotions. This is because there is an inverse relationship between advocating for themselves and likability (Grybaite, 2006). Women should also get into male-dominated fields and excel in them in order to be treated with the seriousness they deserve. Women should be empowered economically in order for them to be dependent on themselves and not men. Other changes that assist in closing the wage gap include companies being compelled to carry out regular salary audits so that they can proactively not only monitor but also tackle gender-based variations, women can be trained and equipped with superior negotiating skills for equal pay, advocating for themselves as far as benefits, promotions and salary is concerned. Finally policy makers must come up with new pay fairness acts or enhance existing ones so as to harmonise the gender pay gap. In future research must be undertaken on the best changes that must be undertaken so as provide both women and men equality in their places of work and make sure that there is zero gender discrimination or disparity as far as work and pay are concerned. ReferencesAnitha, S., (2017). The history of the struggle for equal pay. Striking Women. New York, Cengage Learning. Blau, F. D., Gielen, A. C., & Zimmermann, K. F. (2015). Gender, inequality, and wages. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Cox, E., (2012). The reality of the gender wage gap. The Coversation.Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Dishman, L., (2017). A Definitive Strategy To Eliminate the Gender Pay Gap. Fast Company. CengageBooks. New JerseyInstitute for Women's Research., (2017). The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation 2016; and by Race and Ethnicity . Institute for Women's Policy ResearchMcCormack, C., (2015). Why The Gender Pay Gap Is A Societal Problem, Not A Women's Issue. Elite Daily. New York.Miller, C., (2017). The Gender Pay Gap Is Largely Because of Motherhood. The Upshot.CengageLearning.New YorkSyed, J., & Kramar, R. (2017). Human Resource Management: A Global and Critical. New York. Treanor, J., (2016). Global economic disparity between men and women. The guardian. UK.
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The Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday, July 18, 2024, said Congress must move quickly to approve supplemental funding for the agency to close an estimated $15 billion spending gap through fiscal 2025 to avoid delays and cuts to veterans’ benefits and care. (Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday said Congress must move quickly to approve supplemental funding for the agency to close an estimated $15 billion spending gap through fiscal 2025 to avoid delays and cuts to veterans’ benefits and care.
Disability compensation and pension benefit payments to veterans scheduled to be delivered by Oct. 1 are “at risk of being delayed,” if the VA does not receive an estimated $3 billion to address a budget shortfall for the remainder of fiscal 2024, which ends Sept. 30, said Terrence Hayes, the VA press secretary.
He also said the VA might be forced to cut veterans services and care in fiscal 2025 if Congress does not agree to increase the agency’s $369 billion spending plan.
A $12 billion budget shortfall is projected next fiscal year without the additional funds.
“If the Veterans Health Administration does not receive additional funding, VA will continue to provide high-quality health care to veterans — but will make adjustments to remain within the current budget for fiscal year 2025,” Hayes said.
Demand for VA services exceeded expectations as a record number of veterans now seek VA services and benefits, he said. At the same time, the VA is reporting higher prices for prescription drugs and more hiring costs to fill critical vacancies at VA hospitals and clinics.
Democratic lawmakers from the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees expressed support Thursday for providing the funds to cover the shortfall, while some Republican members criticized the VA for not anticipating higher spending needs.
“More veterans and their families are accessing their earned benefits than ever before, and they should not be shortchanged. This is a cost of war, and I will continue working to do right by each and every one of them,” said Sen. Jon Tester, D.-Mont., who is chairman of the Senate VA Committee.
But Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., chairman of the House VA Committee, accused VA Secretary Denis McDonough and other VA leaders of misleading lawmakers in testimony at budget hearings in the spring.
“This is not just fiscal mismanagement. It is strategic whiplash,” Bost said about the $15 billion shortfall through 2025.
Chief financial officers from the Veterans Benefits Administration and Veterans Health Administration apprised lawmakers this week of the anticipated budget shortfall and their expectations for additional funds, the VA said.
Rep. Mark Takano of California, the top Democrat on the House VA Committee, said he is encouraging fellow lawmakers to work with the VA to cover the shortfall and ensure benefits to veterans continue.
“Spending conversations for [fiscal 2025] are still very much ongoing, and there is time to address this like adults before the next fiscal year. We will need to have the hard, honest conversation of how we will pay for health care that veterans have earned,” he said.
But Takano said he continues to be concerned about rising costs for covering private health care for veterans who seek non-VA medical services in their communities.
Veterans are able to get treatment from private health care providers related to injuries and illnesses from military duty if the needed services are not readily available at VA facilities near their homes.
Takano warned a cost shift is underway to the private sector that risks reducing the quality of care at VA hospitals and clinics.
“I have been sounding the alarm for months about the push for privatization through community care, and how community care is more expensive and has far less oversight than direct VA care,” he said.
Hayes said the agency will not continue its recent pace of hiring at VA hospitals and clinics to meet veterans’ demand for more services following passage of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, or PACT Act .
The law provides medical care and monthly disability compensation to veterans diagnosed with diseases connected to toxic exposures from burn pits, radiation at weapons testing sites, and aerial spraying of Agent Orange and other herbicides.
Since the PACT Act became law, more than 710,000 veterans have enrolled in VA health care, Hayes said. Additional funds from Congress will enable the VA to fill vacancies and new positions in critical areas, he said.
“VA will continue to strategically hire in several key areas, such as mental health care and at targeted locations — such as locations with ongoing increases in health care enrollees,” Hayes said.
The VA does not have a hiring freeze, he said. However, some VA nurses held a rally in Washington last month to protest what they described as a national shortage of nurses at VA hospitals and clinics.
“The VA is working closely with Congress and the White House Office of Management and Budget to resolve these potential shortfalls in a way that prevents any adverse impacts on veterans and allows us to continue to deliver care and benefits to veterans at record rates,” Hayes said.
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Breaking news, mortgage rate lock-in gap: some states have it worse in u.s. housing market.
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With mortgage rates soaring, America’s housing market is stuck in a “mortgage rate lock-in effect,” where homeowners are unwilling to sell since it means they’ll have to trade in their low-interest-rate loan for one at today’s higher rates.
A new report by U.S. News & World Report has found that this lock-in effect is much worse in some states than others.
It all depends on the state’s “lock-in gap,” which is the average mortgage interest rate the homeowners are currently paying subtracted from the rate available to them for purchasing another property. This gap can fluctuate based on location, due to things like local real estate laws or the number of lenders in the area.
Here are the report’s key findings:
Colorado has the widest mortgage rate lock-in gap in the country. Here’s how U.S. News & World Report breaks down these numbers:
Behind Colorado with the widest lock-in gaps are Utah (3.445 percentage points), Iowa (3.375), Minnesota (3.35), North Dakota (3.35), Oregon (3.35), South Dakota (3.35), and Washington (3.35).
Homeowners in states with slim lock-in gaps will see less of a cost increase if they sell their homes and then buy at current mortgage rates.
Texas boasts the narrowest mortgage rate lock-in gap in the country. Here’s how that plays out:
Behind Texas with the narrowest lock-in gaps are New York (2.575 percentage points), New Mexico (2.575), Michigan (2.675), and Rhode Island (2.775).
In states with high housing costs, homeowners’ mortgage payments could go up by more than $1,000 per month if they sold and then bought at current mortgage rates.
The study found that homeowners in Hawaii would see their average monthly payments go up the most, by $1,591.
California homeowners would see their average monthly payments spike by $1,470.
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Other states with the highest potential payment spikes include the following:
“My business is definitely feeling the impact of higher interest rates on our ability to resell projects,” says real estate investor Doug Greene, of Signature Properties in Philadephia. “Buyers are reluctant to take the leap at a much higher rate and monthly payment.”
Although these statistics can indeed be sobering, there’s still some hope on the horizon for homebuyers, particularly if they already own a home and have built up some equity.
“Depending on when they purchased their home, they could have substantial equity,” says Rose Krieger, senior home loan specialist at Churchill Mortgage in Spokane Valley, WA. “This means they may have a larger down payment to compensate for the rate and price.”
If that down payment is 20% or more, homeowners would also eliminate the need for mortgage insurance on a conventional loan, further lowering their proposed monthly payment.
But the answer is never one size fits all, says Shmuel Shayowitz, president and chief lending officer of private mortgage banker Approved Funding. So you should always consult a mortgage and financial adviser to crunch the numbers before deciding whether to sell or stay put.
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Summary. What this report finds: Women are paid 79 cents for every dollar paid to men—despite the fact that over the last several decades millions more women have joined the workforce and made huge gains in their educational attainment. Too often it is assumed that this pay gap is not evidence of discrimination, but is instead a statistical artifact of failing to adjust for factors that ...
A good share of the increase in the gender pay gap takes place when women are between the ages of 35 and 44. In 2022, women ages 25 to 34 earned about 92% as much as men of the same ages, but women ages 35 to 44 and 45 to 54 earned 83% as much. The ratio dropped to 79% among those ages 55 to 64.
The salary gap between men and women isn't shrinking Women have to work nearly 15 months to earn what a man earns in 12. And that's been true for decades. And that's been true for decades. Your Money
In a year of devastating job loss, especially for women — hence the talk of a "she-cession" — the Institute for Women's Policy Research released a piece of research that seemed, on its ...
What the research says. Women working full-time in the U.S. made a median of $821 each week in 2019, compared with a weekly median of $1,007 for men — that's about 81 cents women earned for every dollar men earned — according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The pay gap between men and women refers to that 19-cent-per-dollar discrepancy.
The Gender Pay Gap Is a Culture Problem. American women made significant progress toward closing the gender pay gap in the second half of the 20th century, but that gap has barely budged over the ...
The gender pay gap stands at 20 per cent, meaning women workers earn 80 per cent of what men do. For women of colour, migrant women, those with disabilities, and women with children, the gap is even greater. The cumulative effect of pay disparities has real, daily negative consequences for women, their families, and society, especially during ...
Rose Wong. To the Editor: " Salary Transparency Fails to Fix the Gender Pay Gap " (Business, July 4) contains numerous examples and anecdotes about the benefits of taking actions to close the ...
The issue of gender pay gap has been a topic of debate and discussion for decades, and despite the progress that has been made in terms of gender equality, it remains a persistent and pervasive problem in the modern workplace. In this essay, I will argue that the gender pay gap is a real and pressing issue that continues to negatively impact women in the workforce, and that more needs to be ...
Adjusted basic pay is the sum of an employee's rate of basic pay plus any locality. comparability payment and/or special pay adjustment for law enforcement officers. Salaries are grouped by $10,000 intervals, except for an initial interval of less than. $20,000 and a final interval of $180,000 or more.
The gender pay gap stands at 20 per cent, meaning women workers earn 80 per cent of what men do. For women of colour, migrant women, those with disabilities, and women with children, the gap is even greater. The cumulative effect of pay disparities has real, daily negative consequences for women, their families, and society, especially during ...
Gender wage gap essay topics address the problem of unequal remuneration of women as opposed to men that have identical qualifications. It is a form of gender discrimination present in many countries around the world, including, to a lesser extent, in the Western world. While it is not always intentional, this gender wage gap is highly unfair ...
66 essay samples found. The Gender Pay Gap refers to the relative difference in the average earnings of men and women within the workforce. Essays on this topic could explore the historical evolution of the gender pay gap, its current status across different countries or sectors, and the societal and economic factors contributing to it ...
The gender pay gap is defined as the average gross hourly earnings of men and women who are working. Although the problem has decreased considerably since 1980, it is still rather disturbing (Graf, Brown, & Patten, 2019). According to the analysis performed by the Pew Research Center, female employees earned 85% of what male workers did in 2018.
The disparity in treatment between mothers and fathers is one of the most intriguing aspects of parenthood and the gender pay gap. According to research, workplace penalties are often experienced by mothers and not fathers (Meara et al., 2019). This penalty is caused by various things, including discrimination, inaccurate presumptions about a ...
The median gender pay gap in the United States, for example, is approximately 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. While there have been improvements in some sectors, the gender pay gap persists across industries and occupations. To address this issue, further action and improvement are needed, including the enforcement of existing laws ...
The gender pay gap is a problem nationwide in the United States. It is a phenomenon that affects women of all education levels, ages, and races. Although it varies in a state-by-state basis, the pay gap is prevalent in all states (Miller, 2017). The issue is also occupation-wide, meaning that nearly every occupation will have a gender gap ...
This essay will discuss the gender pay gap and its implications for gender equality. It will explore the causes of the pay gap, including discrimination, occupational segregation, and societal norms. The piece will also consider the economic and social consequences of the pay gap and the measures being taken to address this inequality, such as ...
The Gender Pay Gap and Strategies for Equality Essay. Implementing gender equality policies is necessary to give women equal chances. To guarantee the presence of women in working groups, adequate oversight is required. Equal chances for women should be provided to prevent female aggression. They can compete in labor in the organization ...
The Federal gender pay gap is far smaller than the national gender pay gap, which sits at 16 percent. 1 From 1992 to 2022, the pay gap for the Federal workforce has decreased from 24.5 percent to the current 5.6 percent. In addition, in recent years women in the Senior Executive Service, the senior-most leadership ranks of the Federal ...
Horizontal segregation, where women and men do different types of work. Jobs are seen as 8women9s work,9 such as catering and cleaning. <The complex causes of the gender pay gap= shows that the largest factor. of the gender pay gap is the differences in hours worked by men and women.
Salary history bans aim to close the gender pay gap but fall short as men voluntarily disclose their salaries, a new study reveals. Learn how this affects pay equity. Subscribe To Newsletters
The gender gap refers to the difference between the average earnings of men and women in a specific workforce. The measure of the gender gap has been internationally accepted. It has, over the years, been used to measure the position of women in the economy by comparing them to men. Even though some people refute the gender pay gap, multiple ...
Jennifer Lawrence's Essay on Wage Inequality Is Anything but Unlikable. Late last year, leaked emails from the Sony hack revealed that Jennifer Lawrence (and costar Amy Adams) made less money ...
The Gender Wage Gap is the distinction between the average weekly full-time equivalent wages of women and men, expressed as a percentage of men's income (Miller, 2017). This disparity is a product of several variables that determine the place and role of women in society, namely social, family and stereotypes. These social stereotypes determine ...
The search marketing pay gap is less pronounced in senior positions. For director-level and higher positions (i.e., director, senior director, VP, SVP, C-suite), there is an 8% pay difference ...
The Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday said Congress must move quickly to approve supplemental funding for the agency to close an estimated $15 billion spending gap through fiscal 2025 to ...
For the first time, companies with 250 employees or more would have to report ethnicity and disability pay gaps, King Charles III said on Wednesday as he set out Prime Minister Keir Starmer's ...
Girls". A worldwide pop song sang by Beyoncé, which shows how powerful girls are. According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the gender pay gap is: "Is a measure of the difference between men's and women's average earnings across an organization or the labor market. It is expressed as a percentage of men's earnings ...
Nationally, the average "lock-in gap" is 3.15 percentage points between rates on new and existing mortgages. The national average loan amount is $357,000, so the monthly mortgage payment at 4. ...