Payscale Inc.’s 2025 Gender Pay Gap Report (GPGR) reveals that narrowing the gender pay gap has stalled in the U.S., with systemic barriers still limiting women’s earning potential.
The “uncontrolled gender pay gap” measuring the median salary for men and women in the workforce without accounting for type of job they have finds that women earn 17% less than men, or 83 cents for every $1 earned by men. Also called the “opportunity gap,” this percentage is unchanged from 2024.
The “controlled gender pay gap,” which measures how women are paid compared to men in the same jobs or similar jobs requiring similar education and qualifications, was also unchanged in 2025. When data is controlled for job title and other compensable factors, the gender pay gap narrows to women earning 99 cents for every $1 earned by a man.
The uncontrolled gender pay gap reveals the overall economic power disparity between men and women in society and is not less meaningful than the controlled gender pay gap, Payscale emphasized. 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, Payscale said.
Notably, even when men and women have similar qualifications and education, some professions have a much wider pay disparity than the median controlled pay gap of 99 cents earned by women for every $1 earned by men. The GPGR identified 20 occupations where the controlled pay gap ranges from 87 cents to 93 cents for women for every $1 earned by men.
These jobs include clergy (87 cents), insurance sales agents (88 cents); first-line supervisors (89 cents); non-emergency service dispatchers (90 cents); cardiovascular technicians (91 cents); financial managers (92 cents); and pharmacy technicians (93 cents). The complete list of the 20 occupations with the widest controlled gender pay gaps can be found here.
Other key takeaways from GPGR:
- Motherhood continues to hurt pay equity. Women with children face a significantly wider uncontrolled gender pay gap, earning just 75 cents for dollar fathers earned.
- Men with children earn 2% more than men without children.
- Women seeking new higher-paying jobs are closing the pay gap, but parenting responsibilities and workplace flexibility keep many stuck with lower wages.
“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.
