For AAUW, economic security for women is a top priority.
AAUW is a leader in research and advocacy for women’s equal pay and workplace opportunities. Pay equity will remain an AAUW priority until the gender gap is fully eliminated. Here are some AAUW resources on pay equity:
- The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap
- Where We Stand: Equal Pay
- AAUW-WA Open Letter to WA State Congressional Representatives in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act
- AAUW-WA Letter to the Editor, Seattle Times, Gender Pay Gap, Change Policies and Practices
- “I’m a Foreign-born Woman Making Less than my Male Direct Report.” In this Careers Q&A, AAUW CEO Gloria Blackwell explains how to address the discriminatory pay gaps that women encounter in their jobs.
In 2024, Overall Equal Pay Day was March 12
Women working full time in the U.S. are paid 84% of what men earn. For every dollar a man earns a women earns 84 cents. The pay gap varies by region and other factors.
We include Equal Pay Awareness Days on our calendar to recognize the differences across communities of women.
Pay Gap Data
In the U.S., pay gap data compiled by the National Women’s Law Center shows a range from 73 cents to 89 cents.
In Washington state, the pay gap data shows women earned 82 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2022. Our Equal Pay Awareness Calendar now has WA State data, including data by race/ethnicity and data by Moms.
Data by Congressional District
This table of pay gap data by congressional district shows a pay gap range of 67 cents to 87 cents. Many factors play a role in the gender pay gap and contribute to women and children living in poverty. As you can see in this table, the median earned incomes and the percentage of women and children living in poverty varies by CD.
Data by Legislative District
In WA State Legislative Districts (LD), the pay gap ranged from 59% to 92%. The state average was 82% and the national average was 84%. You can see that median earned incomes and the percentage of women and children living in poverty varies by LD.
AAUW-WA is also looking at the Living Wage Calculator for WA State by Counties and Metropolitan Statistical Areas.
Help Close the Gender Pay Gap
The first step is to understand the gender pay gap in your district and how it differs from other regions in our state. What regional factors are contributing to a high or low gender pay gap in your community?
What New Policies and Practices Are Needed?
Gender pay gap data are available by occupation, family status and age entering the workforce. See the Fact Sheet compiled by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
Barriers to closing the pay gap continue to be identified at a federal and state level. Washington State is taking action to address these barriers. See our review of State and Federal Policies that are helping close the pay gap.
AAUW Supports Pay Equity in the ARTS
AAUW hosts an annual ART CONTEST to give women artists the recognition they deserve.
In the arts, there are pay gaps and opportunity gaps.
- Women working in arts professions are paid, on average, 74 cents to every dollar paid to men.
- Only a third of artists represented by commercial galleries are women.
Learn even more about the pay and opportunity gaps in the arts! Share the National Museum of Woman in the Arts Pay and Opportunity Inequity Cards.
Join Us!
AAUW-WA will be working with its members and leaders, as well as community leaders and policymakers, to better understand the Gender Pay Gap in Washington State. To join the conversation, please contact publicpolicy@aauw-wa.org.