The pay gap between male and female federal government employees has closed significantly in the last 20 years as workers have become more alike in education, experience, and the occupations they hold, according to a report to be released today by the Government Accountability Office.
Women earned 89 cents for every dollar earned by their male co-workers men in 2007, the latest figures available, up from 72 cents in 1988.
GAO said that about half of the gap was due to factors including years of experience and levels of education, but it couldn’t fully account for the remainder of the disparity.
The gap has closed as both genders have shifted away from clerical or blue-collar jobs including typists, clerks and foremen to more professional or administrative positions including accountants, engineers or human resources managers. The shift over two decades is tied to the end of the Cold War and an increased use of technology and government contracting.
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