An interesting study recently released by the Labor Department found that working women who are in their early twenties are getting closer to catching up to men in terms of their median earnings. Furthermore, the Labor Department found that women within most age groups have made gains in their earnings since 1979. Women who work full time and are over the age of 65, on the other hand, have not made any grounds in terms of closing the gender gap.

The report issued by the Labor Department stated that “the women’s-to-men’s earnings ration peaked at 81 percent in 2005 and 2006,” but some other statistics that are interesting to note include:

· Women between the ages of 25 and 34 earned 89% of what men earned in 2008, compared to just 68% in 1979
· The ratio for women-to-men between the ages of 45 and 54 went from 57% in 1979 to 75% in 2008
· Although the women’s-to-men’s earnings ration peaked in 2005 and 2006, it had risen steadily through the 1980s and 1990s
· The earning gap is greater for Asian women than it is or white women, while Hispanic women and African-American women had the lowest earning gap when compared to their male counterparts
· Women who have never been married earn approximately 94.2% of the earnings when compared to unmarried males
· Women who are married earn about 75.5% of what their married male counterparts earn

The report also found that part of the reason for the closing gap is the fact that women are achieving higher educational levels and are becoming more likely to take on higher paying occupations than they had in the past. At the same time, the report found that women are still generally more likely to take on jobs in fields such as healthcare and education, where the earnings do still tend to be lower.