Pay Gap Between NY's Men And Women Has Grown Wider, Study Shows

NEW YORK — Even though it was the cradle of early women's rights activism, New York has moved backward when it comes to pay equity between men and women, a new study shows.

Women working full-time and year-round in the Empire State earn $6,735 less than their male counterparts each year, according to a National Partnership for Women & Families analysis released Monday. That reflects an increase from last year's pay gap of $5,766, the nonprofit's data shows.

The study was published a day ahead of Tuesday's Equal Pay Day, which marks the date that women's earnings catch up to what men made in the previous year. AMNewYork first reported on the analysis.

"The wage gap harms women’s ability to support ourselves and our families," Debra L. Ness, the partnership's president, said in a statement. "Lack of fair pay cuts across all types of jobs and industries from retail and service workers to doctors, entertainers and athletes."

New York's pay disparity is smaller than the nationwide gap of $10,169 a year, as women in the U.S. make just 80 cents for each dollar men are paid, according to the analysis.

But the gap turns into a chasm when race is considered. Latina women in New York earn $30,023 less than white men each year, more than twice the $13,147 difference between white women and white men, the study found.

Black women are almost as far behind, earning $24,370 less than white men, while Asian-American women lag by $12,591 a year, the analysis shows.

There are a few bright spots for pay equity, though, particularly in New York City. Women's median annual wages appear to be just about even with men's in six of the city's 13 congressional districts, the study found. Women even earn slightly more than men in Brooklyn and Manhattan's 7th District, represented by Rep. Nydia Velázquez.

But the disparity still has real costs. Women in New York could pay for nearly seven months of child care, more than four months of health insurance premiums or close to a year of public college tuition and fees if the state's gap were closed, the partnership says.

"The wage gap does not have a single cause and therefore demands more than a single solution," Ness said.