Millennial Women Earn Less Than Previous Generations

by Amber Kahwaji

Sad news for millennial women out there, it looks like they are earning less money than their mothers and grandmothers did.

In a study conducted by the Population Reference Bureau, researchers measured 14 indicators in social, economical, and health related categories.

Those categories include the gender wage gap, education, poverty, and maternal mortality.

After compiling the data the study concluded the well-being of women from the Baby Boomer generation increased from the WWII generation by 66 percent.

The Generation Xers increased from the Baby Boomers 1 percent, but the Millennials scored 1 percent lower than Gen Xers, according to Good Money.

The study pointed out various factors regarding the millennial generation including millennial women have lower high school dropout rates, have lowered the teen pregnancy rate, and are earning more college degrees.

Yet millennial women are more likely to live in poverty, have a higher maternal mortality rate, are ten times more likely to be incarcerated, and are more likely to commit suicide.

And as women begin to close the wage gap, they still need some form of higher education in order to earn what their male counterparts make.

Why such a stall in women’s progress? One suggestion is partly due to the income inequality between women economically, as well as racial and ethnic inequalities.

The poverty rate for women rose 37 percent, and women of color are more likely to be victims of violence.

Although more women are business owners and hold seats in office, there is still a lot of progress to be made in order to push the millennial women and future generations forward.