Is There a "Reverse" Wage Gap?

by Lauren Kelley · 2010-09-08 06:44:00 UTC
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There have been a lot of stories about the gender wage gap flying around lately, most of them frustrating and a few downright infuriating. But TIME magazine is mixing things up by reporting something positive (sort of) about the wage gap: some women (emphasis on some) are not only keeping up with, but actually making more, than their male counterparts.

The phenomenon is being called the "reverse wage gap," and it applies to a very specific subset of women — those who are young, unmarried, childless and live in urban areas. According to a Reach Advisors study (pdf), these women are making as much as 20 percent more than men in a few cities (Atlanta and Memphis) and between 12 and 17 percent more in New York, Los Angeles and San Diego. The gap can even be seen in some relatively small metropolises, like Charlotte, North Carolina (14 percent) and Jacksonville, Florida (6 percent).

The shift in the wage gap, to the degree it has shifted, is being attributed almost entirely to changes in college graduation rates among men and women. Today, three women graduate from college for every two men who do the same — an almost exact reversal of the ratio that existed when Baby Boomers were heading off to the dorms. Very broadly speaking, highly-educated women get married and have children later in life than their less-educated peers, and are therefore able to get further along in their careers and garner bigger paychecks.

Now, believe me, I'm all for celebrating progress in women's pay equality. It is great news that some women have transcended the wage gap. I just wish we could celebrate such a victory for a wider range of women. The less rosy side of this story is that the gender wage gap is very real for many women — especially less-educated mothers, but also rural women, older women, married women and women who live in areas with strong technology industries. In other words, for women who have struggled financially for generations, things are the same as they ever were.

Photo credit: John Picken

Lauren Kelley is an associate editor at AlterNet and a freelance writer. She has volunteered for Planned Parenthood of North Texas, Amnesty International, 826NYC and other groups.
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