Equal Pay Day: 5 Industries Where Women Still Earn Less Than Men
Equal Pay Day serves as an annual reminder that while progress has been made, the playing field is far from level—especially when it comes to how women are compensated in the workplace. Despite decades of advocacy and legal protections, women in the U.S. still earn less than men across many industries.
According to 2024 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women earned just 84 cents for every dollar earned by men when looking at median hourly wages for full- and part-time workers. That’s only a modest improvement from 82 cents in 2023.
While some of the disparity can be attributed to differences in education, job experience, or occupational choices, those factors don't tell the whole story. Gender discrimination, limited access to leadership roles, and the persistent pressure women—especially mothers—face to juggle caregiving duties with career goals all contribute to the stubborn wage gap.
Even in areas where women, especially Black women, have made major strides—such as in management and in leadership roles—the earnings divide persists. With that in mind, we’re looking at five industries where the gender pay gap is still very real because knowing where the gap lingers is a crucial step toward closing it.
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Roles
Women make up the majority of healthcare workers. Nurses, doctors, techs—you name it. But even here, where women are holding the system together, they’re earning less than men in similar roles. Women healthcare professionals earned about $1,341 weekly, while men in similar roles pulled in $1,682—a difference that adds up over time, according to an analysis last year from the Pew Research Center.
Legal Occupations
Law is supposed to be all about fairness and justice, but when it comes to pay, women lawyers aren’t getting their fair share. Despite doing the same late nights, billable hours, and courtroom marathons, women in legal roles are still trailing way behind in their earnings. According to the Pew Research Center, women in legal occupations earned 82 cents for every dollar earned by male lawyers.
Management Roles
Climbing the corporate ladder doesn’t necessarily mean equal pay at the top. Even with the same job titles and responsibilities, women in management are still getting paid significantly less than their male peers. Women get the corner office but not the full salary that should come with it.- advertisement
Arts, Media, and Entertainment
Creative fields can be fun and inspiring—but not always fair. Women working in the arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media earn about 92% of what men earn. While that’s one of the smaller gaps, it’s still not equal, especially when discussing the same roles and experience levels.
Finance and Insurance
The finance sector notoriously harbors one of the widest gender pay gaps. In 2023, women in senior finance roles earned approximately 30% less than their male counterparts, a disparity more significant than in most other professions, The Times reported. That gap hasn’t moved much in recent years. The glass ceiling? It’s made of reinforced, unbreakable glass across this industry.
