In 2012, the pay gap between women’s and men’s median weekly full-time earnings increased from 2011, reported the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) in new analysis. 

IWPR reports:

Women’s earnings may have been hurt by budget cutbacks and the loss of public-sector jobs at the local and state level. These are often medium- and higher-skilled jobs with smaller wage gaps than lower-paying industries, such as retail and hospitality, which saw strong job growth in 2012.

“Job growth in retail and hospitality, while welcome, often involves low paid jobs,” said Dr. Heidi Hartmann, president of IWPR. “Women are more likely than men to work in minimum wage jobs and the stall in minimum wage increases disproportionately affects their earnings.”

Read the entire IWPR report. 

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