Bridging the Gender Pay Gap: What It Means for Dual-Income Couples
- Brian Page
- Apr 21
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 22
The gender pay gap in the United States has slightly narrowed over the past two decades, but it remains a significant issue for working couples striving to manage money and the home as a team.
According to a 2025 Pew Research Center analysis, women earned an average of 85% of what men earned.
While this reflects progress from 2003, when women earned 81% as much as men, the gap still poses financial challenges—especially for dual-income households navigating childcare, mortgages, and long-term savings.
Why the Gender Pay Gap Still Matters
The gap is smaller for younger workers: Women aged 25 to 34 earn 95 cents for every dollar that men in the same age group earn, suggesting that younger generations are moving toward greater pay equity.
However, as women progress in their careers, the pay gap widens. By the time a woman reaches mid-career, systemic barriers, caregiving responsibilities, and workplace biases can slow income growth compared to male counterparts.
The financial implications of the pay gap are far-reaching. It affects household income, retirement savings, and financial security.
Over a lifetime, even a small discrepancy in earnings can result in significantly less wealth accumulation for women, impacting their ability to contribute equally to shared financial goals.
The Balancing Act: Career and Family
One of the biggest contributors to the gender wage gap is the impact of family responsibilities. While both men and women feel pressure to support their families financially, research shows that working mothers face added burdens.
Pew Research found that two-thirds of U.S. working mothers feel a great deal of pressure to focus on responsibilities at home, compared to just 35% of working men. This division of labor often leads women to opt for jobs with more flexibility but lower pay or to take career breaks, which can further widen the wage gap over time.
Interestingly, the financial pressures vary by marital status.
While married fathers are more likely to feel pressure to be the primary financial provider, unmarried working mothers report the highest levels of financial stress. This underscores the importance of financial planning for dual-career couples, ensuring that both partners contribute to the household budget in a way that aligns with their long-term goals.
Strategies for Couples to Overcome the Pay Gap
While the gender pay gap is a complex societal issue, couples can take proactive steps to navigate its financial impact:
Transparent Money Management
Regular financial check-ins can help couples align their income, expenses, and savings goals. There is an art to talking about money, and it begins with a thoughtful and well-planned money date.
Maximize Workplace Benefits
Utilize employer-sponsored benefits like paid family leave, flexible work arrangements, and childcare assistance. Staggering benefits to maximize the time you can each take with your child is healthy for the baby, your relationship, and your career.
Invest for Long-Term Wealth
Smart investment strategies can help bridge income disparities over time. Couples should not wait until scary downturns in the stock market to talk about their retirement. If that happens to be the case for you right now, I shared how to move forward in this previous post.
That said, I wrote this comprehensive post for couples to use to talk about investing together.
Advocate for Equal Pay
Negotiation skills and employer discussions about fair pay can make a difference. Click here for advice from Lean In about negotiating for raises.
Equitable Career Planning
If one partner faces career setbacks due to caregiving, consider ways to balance professional growth for both individuals.
There is no better way to spend five minutes of your time than using our free family financial planning calculator to evaluate your financial trajectory over the next 15 years. It considers factors such as household income, potential career breaks, childcare costs, healthcare expenses, basic living expenses, taxes, and retirement savings.
Click here to access the Family Financial Planning Calculator.
Final Thoughts
The gender wage gap is more than a statistic—it directly affects how couples manage money and the home. While progress has been made, true financial equity requires intentional planning and partnership.
By acknowledging the challenges and taking strategic steps, couples can ensure that financial stability remains a shared responsibility, fostering a stronger foundation for the future.
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