Gender Pay Gap Expands as Federal Employees Age: EEOC

When it comes to the gender pay gap in the federal government, the gap is more pronounced among older female employees than younger ones.

That’s the conclusion of a new report from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which examined data from over two million federal employees from fiscal year (FY) 2021 to reach its conclusions. 

For example, female feds under age 40 trailed their male counterparts under 40 by an average of $2,608 a year, or 3.6 cents on the dollar. Female feds over 40 trailed male counterparts by an average of $6,927 a year, or 7.4 cents on the dollar. 

Researchers say the pay gap compounds over time. 

“Gender pay gaps are larger for older employees. Over a lifetime, this adds up,” said Karen Brummond, a social science research analyst at the EEOC’s Office of Federal Operations and author of the report. “A small gender pay gap early in one’s career can multiply into a larger gap over time.”

Certain Factors Expand the Gap

The authors found that certain factors either accentuated the gap or closed it a bit. 

One factor was work experience. For female workers under 40, the experience metric increased the pay gap by 2.9 cents on the dollar, as the average male under 40 had an additional year of federal experience.

Another factor was occupation. For younger workers, occupation increased the pay gap by 1.6 cents on the dollar. For older workers, the gap was even higher at 2.1 cents. 

For younger workers, education was the attribute most associated with decreasing the gender pay gap, slashing it by $1,665 annually. Veteran status also helped decrease the gap. 

In both groups, men’s pay rose more with age than women’s pay. 

“The new EEOC report provides yet more evidence of the persistent gender pay gap in the federal workforce, and how it’s exacerbated by intersecting factors — including age,” Department of Justice Gender Equality Network (DOJ GEN) President Stacey Young said in a statement to Federal News Network. “To promote fairness for federal employees and set an important example for the rest of the American workforce, DOJ GEN urges the incoming administration to take meaningful steps to eliminate all forms of pay inequities.”

The EEOC report contained the following recommendations:

• Federal agencies should make efforts to identify and address barriers creating gender differences in occupation, which are greater among workers age 40 and over.

• Governmentwide initiatives to eliminate gender pay inequities should target the agencies with the largest gender pay gaps.

• Additional research should seek to identify the personnel practices and occupations most associated with gender pay differences across age groups in the Federal sector.

Biden Administration’s Work on Pay

The report comes as the Biden Administration leaves office after attempting to close gaps in federal pay.

While the overall federal pay gap between men and women stood at 5.6 percent in 2022, that number is less than the 16 percent pay gap that exists in the private sector.  

Among the overall actions the administration has taken: a 2024 Office of Personnel Management (OPM) rule that banned consideration of salary history in the hiring and pay setting process.

According to the Biden Administration, using salary history has been shown to have a disproportionate effect on the hiring of women and people of color into the workforce.