Women who were recently hired made about 96% of what men earned as of July, according to the New Hires Quality Index from the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Michigan. That study reviewed the earnings data of people who started new jobs each month. The findings from that report largely match up with a research paper from the Pew Research Center’s Rakesh Kochhar, which earlier in the year found average hourly wages for women grew 45% between 1980 and 2018. That compares with 14% growth for men.
Employers are targeting more women for their social skills, Kochhar noted, while Brad Hershbein, an economist at the Upjohn Institute, said women’s gains were due in part to their educational advancements.