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Introduction In 2015, women working full time in the United States typically were paid just 80 percent of what men were paid, a gap of 20 percent (Proctor et al., 2016). The gap has narrowed since 1960, due largely to women's progress in education and workforce participation and to men's wages rising at a slower rate. At the rate of change between 1960 and 2015, women are expected to reach pay equity with men in 2059. But even that slow progress has stalled m recent years. If change continues at the slower rate seen since 2001, women will not reach pay equity with men until 2152 (Figure 1). The gender pay gap has lifelong financial effects. For one, it contributes directly to women's poverty. In 2015, 14 percent of American women ages 18-64 were living below the federal poverty level, compared with 11 per- cent of men. For ages 65 and older, 10 percent of women and 7 percent of FIGURE 1. Women's Median Annual Earnings as a Percentage of Men's Median Annual Earnings for Full -Time, Year -Round Workers, 1960-2015 100% - 90% 80% 70% 60% 0990 • •t ••••• • • •• • •• -• ••• projected PaY equi1Y 2152 60 rah 10 16 60 66 oi° 4) °° .ti0 s 'y° .y5 "'° y`, N9 N9 1A , ti� , .° '19 'y0 't° ,y0 'y° ,y0 • Women's earnings as a percentage of men's earnings — 1960-2015 trend — 2001-15 trend Source: AAUW analysis of data from Proctor et al, U.S. Census Bureau, Income and Poverty in the United States: 2015 AAUW Resources • Visit the pay equity resources on the AAUW website at www.aauw.org/ tag/equal-pay for current information on the status of legislation, federal policies, and actions that you can take to narrow the pay gap. • Join AAUW's Action Network to keep up with equal pay advocacy and receive notices to tell your legislators what you think: wwwaauworg/ actionnetwork. • Learn about your rights at work and what you can do if you believe you're being paid unfairly or otherwise discriminated against by visiting www aauworg/what-we-do/legal-resources /know -your -rights -at -work. • Get ideas for programming and advocacy at fightforfairpay.org. • If you're a college student or professional, visit AAUW's salary negoti- ation page at wwwaauworg/what-we-do/salary-negotiation-workshops to find out how to attend an AAUW Start Smart or AAUW Work Smart salary negotiation workshop or bring one to your community. • Learn about the status of pay equity laws in your state and take action at www aauw. org/resource/state-equal-pay-laws. • Read more about the pay gap at wwwaauworg/what-we-do/research. • Join AAUW and help ensure pay equity for all: wwwaauworg/;oin. 2- 35 29