One year after graduating from college, women earn only 80% as much as their male colleagues.

1. Pay Equity Over the Lifespan Women hold, on average, 10.3 jobs over their lifetime. Women are much less likely to negotiate for higher salaries as they change jobs or are up for raises/promotions. A woman with typical earnings would have to work 15 years longer to achieve the same lifetime savings as a man. Over her lifetime, a woman with a bachelor’s degree makes $1.2 million less than a man with a bachelor’s degree. One year after graduating from college, women earn only 80% as much as their male colleagues. High School College Graduate School 1st Job Job/Life Changes Retirement Over her lifetime, a woman with a high school degree makes $700,000 less than a man with a high school degree. Choice of major is the leading cause of pay inequity at this stage. Students who graduate in female-dominated fields like education get jobs that pay less than other male-dominated fields, like engineering. A woman who receives an advanced degree makes, over her lifetime, $2 million less than a man with an advanced degree. Workers in their 20’s are much less likely to have benefits such as health care and pension plans. Studies show that working mothers suffer a wage penalty for their parenting. In fact, for those under age 35, the wage gap between mothers and non-mothers is larger than the gap between men and women. Social Security only covers 58-72% of the needed yearly income for elderly individuals and couples, consequently other sources of income such as savings and pensions are critical to older women’s financial security.

2. This presentation was created by the CT Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW). For more information about PCSW visit: www.cga.ct.gov/pcsw