Women's Earnings More Than Doubled Since 2000, While the Estimated Gender Earnings Gap Reached $671B

The estimated aggregate annual earnings gap between men and women exceeded $671 billion in 2025, even as women’s pay and workforce participation reached historic highs. That’s according to a new analysis of gender earnings trends by MyPerfectResume, a premium resume-building service.

The analysis, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Current Population Survey and Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), examined median weekly earnings and full-time workforce estimates for men and women from 2000 through 2025.

Women’s median weekly earnings more than doubled over the period, rising from $493 in 2000 to approximately $1,089 in 2025. For every dollar men earned, women earned about 77 cents in 2000, a figure that improved to roughly 82 cents by 2025. But in actual dollars, the estimated annual earnings difference between men and women grew from approximately $7,696 in 2000 to $12,324 in 2025, an increase of more than 60%.

Key Findings

Women’s median weekly earnings more than doubled since 2000: from $493 in 2000 to approximately $1,089 in 2025.
The estimated aggregate annual gender earnings gap exceeded $671 billion in 2025, up from approximately $327 billion in 2000.
The estimated annual earnings gap grew by more than 60% in dollar terms: The estimated difference between men’s and women’s earnings increased from $7,696 in 2000 to $12,324 in 2025.
The gender earnings ratio improved modestly over time: Women earned approximately 77% of men’s weekly earnings in 2000, compared to approximately 82% in 2025.
Women working full-time increased substantially since 2000: The number of women employed full-time rose by more than 9.5 million over the period analyzed.
Real earnings rose for women, too: Women’s inflation-adjusted weekly earnings increased approximately 17.9% since 2000, while men’s real earnings also increased during the period analyzed.

“Women have made real, measurable progress in the workforce over the last 25 years, and that deserves to be recognized,” said Dr. Jasmine Escalera, Career Expert at MyPerfectResume. “But the data show that progress in percentage terms has not prevented the dollar-value gap from growing. Behind every one of these numbers is a woman making real financial decisions with less earning power than her male peers. That gap compounds over a career in ways that affect savings, retirement, and long-term financial security.”

A Persistent Gap Despite 25 Years of Workforce Gains

The progress women have made is significant. Over the last 25 years, women have made substantial gains in both pay and workforce participation.

In 2000:

Women working full-time earned a median of $493 per week
Men earned $641 per week
Women earned about 77 cents for every dollar men earned

By 2025:

Women’s median weekly earnings climbed to approximately $1,089
Men’s median weekly earnings rose to approximately $1,326
Women earned roughly 82 cents for every dollar men earned

That improvement in the earnings ratio is meaningful. But the dollar gap between men’s and women’s annual pay tells a different story:

In 2000, the estimated annual earnings difference was approximately $7,696
By 2025, that figure reached approximately $12,324
That represents an increase of more than 60% over the period analyzed

Why the Aggregate Gap Kept Growing

Even as individual earnings improved, the estimated aggregate gap widened considerably. Here is how the numbers grew over time:

2000: approximately $326.9 billion
2020: approximately $446.7 billion
2025: approximately $671.5 billion

Two things happened at the same time:

The earnings difference between men and women persisted year over year
The number of women in the full-time workforce grew significantly

When a persistent per-worker gap is applied across a larger workforce, the total estimated difference grows even if the percentage gap narrows slightly.

To view the full report, visit: https://www.myperfectresume.com/career-center/careers/basics/gender-earnings-gap