Women in New York are still paid less than men

Emily Barnes

New York Connect Team

USA TODAY NETWORK

Women in New York continue to make less than men, according to a recently released report by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

To earn what men in New York did by the end of 2023, women would have had to work an extra 53 days into 2024, the report says.

'Investing in policies that restore progress in female labor force participation through access to affordable child care and paid leave, and narrowing gender inequities in career paths could help reduce the gender pay gap and promote New York’s economic health,' the report states.

Here’s what to know about the gender pay disparity in New York.

How big is the pay gap?

In 2023, median earnings for women with full-time, year-round positions in New York — which means half of the population made less and half made more — were over $9,000 less per year than men in New York, according to the report. In addition, women earned 87.3 cents on the dollar compared to men.

The gap has fluctuated since 2015, dropping down to 85.5 cents at its lowest and exceeding 88 cents at its highest, and in 2023, it was smaller than the national average of 81 cents, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data shows.

What factors contribute to the persistent pay gap?

Education level, choice of industry or occupation, how much experience one has and the number of hours worked are all contributing factors to the pay gap women are facing in New York, the report states.

However, even when on a level playing field — same educational attainment or profession — women still made less. Women with bachelor’s, graduate or professional degrees in the Empire State made 78 cents on the dollar to what men with the same degrees earned in 2023 and the median earnings for male managers in New York in 2023 was almost $14,500 more than women in New York that year.

New York’s legal field provides the largest gender pay gap as women earned 68 cents on the dollar to men in 2023. 'Family caretaking can also contribute to the gender pay gap by lowering female labor force participation rates and occupational choices,' the report says. And although the increased availability of remote work options and workplace flexibility have eased some of that burden, 'the New York State Department of Labor reports that low availability and high cost of child care may present an impediment to female labor force participation.'

Economic historian and University of Rochester assistant professor of history Molly Ball says childcare costs are 'often prohibitively high' in New York and even those that can afford it have trouble finding childcare providers.

'A blanket approach to assess childcare costs and availability roadblocks may not be effective to solving the flexibility solution,' Ball says. Instead, the state should make an effort to understand specific community needs by working with local organizations who work with women as well as keep an open mind to adaptable solutions as flexibility can take many forms.

WalletHub report names New York as one of the best states for women

Earlier this year, WalletHub ranked New York as one of the best states for women. New York came in as the fourth best state for women in the country with an overall score of 74.50 out of 100. According to the study, the Empire State has one of the highest life expectancy at birth rates and one of the lowest female homicide rates, coming in fourth and fifth, respectively.

WalletHub assessed New York’s women’s health care and safety rank as No. 2 and the state’s economic and social well-being rank as No. 7. The economic and social well-being rank took several factors into consideration, including the median earnings for female workers in the state, the unemployment rate for women in the state, job security for women in the state and a state’s friendliness toward working moms.

Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@gannett.com.