Episode Overview

Podcast: Your Money Minute by CNBC
Episode: Women Lose Ground With Pay Again
Air Date: October 13, 2025
Host: Jessica Ettinger
Summary:
In this concise 60-second episode, Jessica Ettinger highlights the troubling development that the gender pay gap in the United States is widening for the second consecutive year, a reversal not seen in over six decades. Drawing on fresh U.S. Census Bureau statistics and CNBC's analytical insights, Ettinger and CNBC's Julia Boorstin discuss the drivers behind the widening gap, geographic differences, and proactive strategies that some companies are adopting to address these issues.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Gender Pay Gap is Widening Again

• For the first time in over 60 years, the gender pay gap in the U.S. is expanding rather than shrinking.

• 2024 marked the second year in a row this reversal has occurred.

  Jessica Ettinger [00:04]:
  "Women are still losing ground in the workplace. For the first time in more than 60 years, the U.S. Census Bureau says the gender pay gap has widened, going in the wrong direction for two years in a row."

2. Underlying Factors Driving the Pay Gap

• Lower pay in female-dominated fields: Jobs where women are the majority tend to offer lower salaries than male-dominated jobs.

• Employer practices:

  • Using salary history to determine pay perpetuates past inequalities.
  • Direct discrimination remains an issue.

• Motherhood penalty: Women with children face additional obstacles, leading to reduced pay and promotion opportunities.

  Jessica Ettinger [00:21]:
  "Factors driving the pay gap include workers in female dominated fields are paid less than those in male dominated fields, employer practices like using salary history to set pay, discrimination, and the so-called motherhood penalty.”

3. Geographic Variation in the Pay Gap

• The gap is worse in red states:

  • Women in states that voted Republican in the last presidential election (Trump-voting states) earn on average $0.80 to each dollar a man earns.
  • Women in blue states (Democratic-voting) fare slightly better at $0.85 per dollar.

  Julia Boorstin [00:38]:
  "The gender pay gap is wider in red states. CNBC analysis found that women in states that voted for Trump earned an average of $0.80 on the dollar compared to $0.85 on the dollar for women in blue states."

4. The Importance of Data Transparency

• Tracking detailed pay and promotion data can help identify where and how disparities occur.

  Jessica Ettinger [00:49]:
  "Experts tell CNBC tracking the numbers can help reveal what may be going on."

5. What Companies Can Do: The Salesforce Example

• Salesforce identified an invisible barrier:

  • While men and women received equal pay for the same job, men were promoted far more frequently.

• Action taken:

  • The company began evaluating employees for promotion on the same timeline regardless of gender, helping to close both the promotion and pay gaps.

  Julia Boorstin [00:54]:
  “Company like Salesforce, yes, it was paying men and women at the same exact position, the same, but it was promoting men so much more frequently. So Salesforce addressed this promotion gap and the underlying pay gap by evaluating people for promotion at the same frequency.”

6. Current Pay Gap Figures

• As of the latest Census Bureau data:

  • Women are paid just $0.81 for every $1.00 paid to a man in the same job.

  Jessica Ettinger [01:10]:
  "2024 was the second straight year the pay gap widened again, with women being paid an average of just 81 cents for every dollar paid to a man in the same job."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jessica Ettinger [00:04]:

  "Women are still losing ground in the workplace. For the first time in more than 60 years, the U.S. Census Bureau says the gender pay gap has widened, going in the wrong direction for two years in a row."

• Julia Boorstin [00:38]:

  "The gender pay gap is wider in red states. CNBC analysis found that women in states that voted for Trump earned an average of $0.80 on the dollar compared to $0.85 on the dollar for women in blue states."

• Julia Boorstin [00:54]:

  "So Salesforce addressed this promotion gap and the underlying pay gap by evaluating people for promotion at the same frequency."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–00:20 — Introduction & headline data on the pay gap
• 00:21–00:35 — Underlying causes of the widening gap
• 00:36–00:49 — Geographic disparities in pay gap
• 00:50–01:08 — The Salesforce case study: moving beyond equal pay to fair promotions
• 01:09–01:15 — Current national average: $0.81 to $1 for men

Conclusion

This succinct episode brings critical attention to the fact that the U.S. gender pay gap is no longer closing and actually getting worse, underscoring the need for vigilance, transparency, and proactive measures. By illustrating both policy-level disparities and company-level solutions, CNBC provides listeners with the latest figures, context, and tangible examples to better understand the forces driving economic inequality for women.