Biden White House annual report shows 20% gender pay gap

An analysis of the White House's annual pay report has revealed a gender pay gap of 20 per cent, Wall Street Journal reported. This finding raises substantial questions about President Joe Biden's previous emphasis on addressing pay disparities among various employers.

Biden on “national equal pay day” at the White House in March said, “I call upon all Americans to recognise the full value of women’s skills and their significant contributions to the labour force, acknowledge the injustice of wage inequality and join efforts to achieve equal pay."

The annual pay report submitted to Congress disclosed the names, positions, and salaries of over 440 staff members.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Surprisingly, the median salary for men on the president's staff stands at $105,000, while the median salary for women is significantly lower at $84,000. It's worth noting that President Biden himself earns $400,000 annually.

Mark Perry, a scholar associated with the American Enterprise Institute, reportedly analysed the data and concluded that women working for the White House earn approximately 80 cents for every dollar earned by male staff members. Perry has a history of scrutinising White House salaries and found that during Donald Trump's tenure in 2017, the pay gap was 37 per cent, and it was nearly 11 per cent under Barack Obama's administration in 2016.

Composition effect

An analysis by The Wall Street Journal suggested that the primary cause of the gender pay gap within the Biden White House is a phenomenon known as the "composition effect." Despite there being more women (269) than men (179) employed at the White House, women are often concentrated in lower-paid positions, contributing to the observed pay gap.

Also Read | Wagner reaping benefits from instability in Niger, says US State Secretary Antony Blinken

For instance, Karine Jean-Pierre, the president's press secretary, along with eight other women, earns a salaryof $180,000.

Also Read | Man gets furious and locks ex-colleagues at former workplace after being fired from job

Interestingly, an editorial by The Wall Street Journal pointed out that the gender pay gap within the White House slightly surpasses the national average for the workforce in 2022, as indicated by the White House's own analysis.

Watch | Nepal initiates investigation against former Prime Ministers

The White House Council of Economic Advisers estimated that across all full-time workers, women earned only 83 cents for every dollar earned by men.

Questioning gender gap

The editorial from The Wall Street Journal raised a pertinent question: “If Mr Biden pays only 80 cents on the dollar, does that mean his White House is three percentage points more structurally sexist than the labour market writ large?”

WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.