Gender pay gap in federal government isn’t as wide as in private sector

Source: The Washington Post

Uncle Sam strives to be the model employer, and in at least one area, he’s making progress.

When it comes to equal pay for equal work, the federal government is significantly closer to that goal than the nation as a whole. Closing the gender pay gap has been the focus of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at two dozen events around the country in April and May.

Women in the federal government make 11 cents less on the dollar than their male counterparts, according to the most recent data available from the General Accountability Office. That gap is 11 cents too much, but it nonetheless compares favorably with the national gap, which is closer to 20 cents.

Speaking generally on Equal Pay Day, April 12, EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien said, “The wage gap is even greater for women of color and women with disabilities.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/politics/gender_pay_gap_in_federal_government_isnt_as_wide_as_in_private_sector/2011/05/09/AFjmX8bG_story.html?wprss=