The gender pay gap —the discrepancy between what women earn relative to men—remains a persistent issue in 2025. While some progress has been made, multiple, overlapping factors continue to hold back full pay equity. Below is a breakdown of the key reasons why it persists, along with some of the broader implications and what remains to be addressed. ✅ What is the current picture? In the Pew Research Center’s analysis for the U.S., women in 2024 earned about 85 % of what men earned on average (measured by median hourly earnings of full- and part-time workers). Pew Research Center +2 CNBC +2 According to the Organization for Economic Co‑operation and Development (OECD) in 2025, though the gender wage gap has narrowed over decades, it remains “stubborn” because of structural factors. OECD In some regions (for instance, in Pakistan) the gap remains sizeable: an ILO brief noted women earning ~25% less per hour than men in Pakistan. The United Nations in Pakistan Thus, the gap...