Press Releases

Gender Pay AAUW’s New Report Exposes the Deep-Rooted Causes of Pay Inequity on Equal Pay Day 2025

March 25, 2025

The Gender Pay Gap Is Getting Worse 

Washington, D.C. – On Equal Pay Day 2025, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) releases its latest report, The Not So Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap, revealing a troubling reversal in progress: the pay gap widened in 2023 for the first time in decades. According to the report, women working full-time, year-round earned just 83 cents for every dollar earned by men, down from previous years. When including part-time and seasonal workers, the earnings ratio drops to 75 cents. The gaps are even larger gaps for women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities. 

“These are not just statistics—they are a warning sign,” said Gloria L. Blackwell, CEO of AAUW. “Women’s economic security is being eroded, impacting families, communities, and the entire U.S. economy. The time for bold action is now.” 

The Cost of Inequity: Key Findings from the Report 

Despite laws against pay discrimination, The No So Simple Truth underscores how gender, race, and occupational segregation continue to undermine women’s earnings. 

  • Women of Color Face Even Wider Gaps: In 2023, Latina and Native American women working full-time earned just 58 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men, and Black women earned 66 cents. The consequences extend beyond paychecks, affecting retirement security, career advancement, and economic mobility. 
  • Part-Time Workers Face Greater Disparities: Women were twice as likely as men to work part-time in 2023, often due to caregiving responsibilities. When including these workers in pay gap calculations, the wage ratio shrinks dramatically, with Latina women earning just 51 cents and Black women 64 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men. These disparities also highlight how the lack of paid leave, affordable childcare, and workplace flexibility forces many women into lower-paying, unstable jobs with fewer benefits. 
  • Policy Solutions to Increase Women’s Economic Security: The report includes a range of policy solutions to address the pay gap and increase women’s economic security, including strengthening pay equity laws, reducing barriers to obtaining a college degree, addressing issues that support working women, including childcare access, paid leave and reproductive health. 

The gender pay gap has cost U.S. women an estimated $61 trillion in lost wages from 1967 to 2021. Closing the gap would not only boost individual earnings but also strengthen the U.S. economy by increasing consumer spending, business growth, and overall economic productivity. 

“As we mark Equal Pay Day 2025, we urge Congress to take concrete steps to close the gender wage gap, including passing the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Fair Pay Act,” said Blackwell. “Pay equity isn’t just a women’s issue — it’s an economic imperative that affects us all.” 

AAUW Empowers Women—But Systemic Change is Still Needed  

In addition to policy advocacy, AAUW continues its salary negotiation workshops and financial literacy training, which have already equipped more than 190,000 women with the tools to advocate for fair pay and career advancement. AAUW also remains one of the largest funders of graduate education for women, helping to break barriers in high-paying fields. 

The full report, The Not So Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap 2025, is available here. 

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AAUW (American Association of University Women) is the nation’s leading organization for equity in higher education and women’s economic empowerment. Founded in 1881 by women who defied society’s conventions by earning college degrees, AAUW has since worked to increase women’s access, opportunity, and equity in higher education through advocacy and philanthropy of more than $146 million, supporting thousands of women scholars. Learn more at aauw.org.