The 2025 Gender Pay Gap Report by Payscale Inc. indicates that progress in closing the gender pay gap in the United States has come to a halt, with women's earning potential still hampered by systemic barriers.
The report highlights the "uncontrolled gender pay gap," which compares the median salary of men and women in the workforce regardless of their job type. Women earn 17% less than men, equating to 83 cents for every dollar earned by men, mirroring the figures from 2024.
Additionally, the "controlled gender pay gap," assessing pay for men and women in identical or similar roles with comparable education and qualifications, shows women earning 99 cents for every dollar earned by men, a number unchanged in 2025.
Payscale stresses that the uncontrolled gender pay gap reflects the broader economic power disparity between men and women and is as meaningful as the controlled gap. They noted, "Even if the controlled gender pay gap disappears — meaning women and men with the same job title and qualifications are paid equally — an uncontrolled gap would still demonstrate that women are valued less by society for their work."
The report also found significant controlled pay gap variations in certain professions. For example, clergy see a gap of 87 cents, insurance sales agents 88 cents, and first-line supervisors 89 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts.
Other notable findings from the report include:
- Women with children face an uncontrolled pay gap, earning only 75 cents to the dollar earned by fathers.
- Fathers earn 2% more than men without children.
- Women changing jobs to earn higher salaries are reducing the pay gap, but parenting duties and limited workplace flexibility prevent many from improving their earnings.
"In 2025, Payscale’s data do not show a significant widening of the gender pay gap; however, we also don’t see the incremental closing of the gap we are used to seeing," the company said.
