Figuratively Speaking: Census data show earnings gap remains

Number of females in the U.S. as of Oct. 1, 2007: 153.6 million

Median annual earnings of women 16 or older who worked year-round, full-time, in 2006: $32,649

For every $1 earned by men, amount earned by women: 77 cents

Median earnings of women working in computer and mathematical jobs, the highest for women among the 22 major occupational groups: $61,081

Perceptions of equality

Percentage of female workers who say they feel that they are paid less than counterparts of the opposite sex with the same skills and qualifications, according to the “Workplace Equality” survey from CareerBuilder.com: 34

Percentage of men who say they feel they are paid less than their female counterparts: 11

Percentage of U.S. workers who say women are treated differently than men in the workplace, according to a study conducted by Adecco: 59

Percentage who say women are treated worse than men: 42

Percentage who say women are treated better: 17

Percentage of U.S. workers who say women have made important advancements in the workplace over the past 10 years, according to a study conducted by Adecco: 95

Percentage of U.S. workers who say the glass ceiling still exists: 86

Offensive jargon

Percentage of U.S. employees who say they heard a sexually inappropriate comment at work last year, according to a survey conducted by Novations Group Inc.: 34

Percentage of men who said they heard a sexually inappropriate comment while at work: 44

Percentage of women who said the same: 22

Work-family balance

Number of high-income countries that offer no paid parental leave, according to a Center for Economic and Policy Research report and the Council on Contemporary Families: 2 (United States and Australia)

In the U.S., total guaranteed (nontransferable) weeks of unpaid leave for two-parent family under the Family and Medical Leave Act: 24 weeks (12 for mother; 12 for father)

In terms of total guaranteed time off from work, rank of the U.S. out of 21 high-income countries: 20

Rank of Switzerland, in terms of time off from work (14 weeks of protected leave, though financial support is paid at 80 percent of a mother’s income): 21

Paid leave offered to mother or father in Sweden: 78 weeks

Percentage of working women with children under 18 who work flexible schedules, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: 26

Percentage of working women with children under 18 who worked flexible schedules in 1991: 14

Protecting the home front

Percentage of women who cite “financial strain” as a major threat to the American family, according to findings of a nationwide survey by Meredith Corp. and NBC Universal: 68

Percentage who also cite “divorce” as a major threat: 48

Percentage who also cite “loss of faith/spirituality”: 47

Help at home

Percentage of married women who maintain a “honey-do” list, according to a survey sponsored by Mighty Putty: 94

Percentage of women who were likely to have between one and nine tasks on their list: 71

Percentage of those tasks that remain unfinished for weeks, months or even years: 78

Stay-at-home salary

Annual projected salary for a stay-at-home mother, based on the time spent performing the 10 most popular “mom job” functions – housekeeper, day care center teacher, cook, laundry machine operator, computer operator, psychologist, facilities manager, van driver, chief executive officer and janitor – according to Salary.com’s 2008 determination: $116,805

Annual projected salary for a working mom: $68,405

Leading women

Ranks of Washington, D.C., San Francisco, New York City, Chicago and Dallas among the U.S. cities with the highest percentage of top-level female executives, according to a study conducted by the Greater Washington Initiative: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage of female executives in Washington, D.C.: 27

Percentage in Dallas: 20

Idle Thought

“Ability will never catch up with the demand for it.”

—Malcolm Forbes

John MacIntyre is an author and former city magazine editor. His “Figuratively Speaking” column, launched in 1989, is published in more than 40 newspapers and magazines.[[In-content Ad]]