
Women are decades--or centuries--away from getting equal pay for equal work. In November, the World Economic Forum estimated that the global pay and employment opportunity gender gap will take 217 years to close. In the U.S., "no matter how you measure it, there is a gender wage gap," says Elise Gould, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute. Scope out the extent of the problem here--and turn to "Mind the Gender Gap" to start fixing it at your company.
The best-paid jobs have the biggest gaps. Minimum-wage jobs are at least good for pay equity. Better pay means bigger disparities--partly because of the negotiation gap. "There's a social expense that women face when they negotiate," says Cheryl Swirnow of CMS Consultants. "They're often seen as 'aggressive' or 'difficult,' while men tend to be viewed as 'strong' and 'confident.'