Women today are more likely than men to complete college

and attend graduate school, and make up nearly half of the

country's total workforce. Yet past gaps in education and
experience appear to be contributing to a persistent pay gap
between the sexes, a new report shows. The report from the
White House Council of Economic Advisers shows that although
women are increasingly becoming more educated and make up a
larger portion of the country's workforce, they consistently earn
less than men, even when they have similar levels of education.

In the early 1990s, adult women were about as likely as men to

earn a bachelor's degree or attend graduate school. But around
the middle of the decade, women began to surpass men in college
attainment. That increase also can be seen in professional degree
programs,women now account for almost half of students in law,
medical and business administration graduate programs. During
the 1960s, women accounted for about 10 percent of students in
those programs. Now, women in the workforce are more likely to
have at least a bachelor's degree than not. They're also making
gains in occupations that traditionally have been dominated by
men;doctors, lawyers, scientists and professors.Today, women in
their early 30s are just as likely to be doctors or lawyers as they
are to be teachers or secretaries.

Although they're increasingly likely to work in historically male-

dominated professions, but women still haven't reached a state of
parity in the workforce, many of which tend to have higher
salaries. Women still are overrepresented in lower-paying
occupations. Women make up 56 percent of workers in the 20
lowest-paid jobs, and just 29 percent of those in the 20 highest-
paid jobs. Reducing barriers to female occupational choice,
including gender discrimination, would not only raise women’s
earnings, but would also increase overall productivity by
better matching worker skills to jobs.Recent research has shown
that women can help drive innovation and better target female
customers and employees.

Generational trends still could be contributing to the wage

gap,because past disparities in educational attainment, job choice
and experience take time to disappear from the labor force. Even
when men and women have similar levels of education, men end
up earning more over time,but within the first five years of
employment, men's wages surpass women's wages. The report
suggests that implementing policies such as paid family leave and
flexible work schedules can help increase participation and
experience over time.

With women and men increasingly sharing breadwinning and

caregiving responsibilities, today’s working families need a
modern workplace one with workplace flexibility, paid leave and
quality child and elder care.Such policies are beneficial for the
economy as they lead to higher labor force participation, greater
labor productivity and work engagement, and better allocation of
talent across the economy.