How women earn $11,500 less than men per year despite continued efforts to close the gender gap

By Margot Peppers

Published: 15:02 EST, 18 September 2013 | Updated: 18:29 EST, 18 September 2013

Despite continued efforts to close the gender gap, women in full-time jobs are still receiving significantly lower salaries than men, earning an average $11,500 less per year.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's annual survey, which was released on Tuesday, women rake in just 77 cents for every $1 that a man earns at work, a ratio that has remained largely consistent since 2002.

The published survey comes just months after President Obama's most recent appeal to Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would improve the male-female wage disparity.

Women at work

Gender gap: According to the U.S. census bureau's annual survey, which was released on Tuesday, women earn just 77 cents for every $1 that a man earns, a ratio that has remained largely consistent since 2002

But the act failed to be officially approved, meaning that women are consistently earning the same percentage of men's wages.

Indeed, the report states that the gender gap has changed just twice since 2002 - in 2003, when women earned 76 cents for every dollar earned by men, and 2007, when the rate was 78 cents.

According to the survey, race also plays a large factor in earnings.

While women overall in 2012 earned 77 cents of every dollar earned by a man, African American women were paid just 69 cents for every dollar a man was paid.

Latin women earned a measly 58 cents for every dollar paid to men in general, and 54 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.

'The gender-based wage gap is a blot on our nation's commitment to civil rights'

Despite the gender gap, another study published by the Pew Research Center in May reported an all-time high of four in ten women who are the sole or primary breadwinners at home.

And while the number of men working full-time jobs increased by 1million in 2012, the number of women in full-time positions remained the same.

The median income nationwide saw a 'statistically insignificant' drop from $51,100 to $51,017.

Debra Ness, the president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, told Salon.com: 'The persistence of the gender-based wage gap is a blot on our nation's commitment to civil rights and equal opportunity.

'These new data should give Congress and the administration even more reason to make addressing it a priority.'