The End of the Rise in Women's Earnings

In the aftermath of the Great Recession, the decades-long increase in the earnings of women who work full-time came to an end. In 2012, the median of $691 per week earned by women who work full-time in wage and salary employment was less than the $704 they earned in 2010, after adjusting for inflation. Women are joining men in the struggle to stay even. In 2012, their male counterparts earned a median of $854 per week, less than the $867 they earned in 2010 and the $861 they earned all the way back in 1979.

Over the years, the rise in women's earnings has kept American families afloat. With women and men now experiencing earnings stagnation or outright decline, household incomes have fallen. The $51,017 median household income of 2012 was more than $5,000 below the 1999 peak of $56,080, after adjusting for inflation.

For more about women's earnings, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics report Highlights of Women's Earnings in 2012 (PDF)