The Gender Wealth Gap in the United States, 2008–2013

Laurel Sariscsany , Columbia University

There has been extensive research on the gender wage gap in the U.S. However, limited research has examined gender disparities in wealth. This study begins to fill in this gap by providing the first nationally representative analysis of the gender wealth gap among unmarried and married individuals using the 2008 Panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation. The paper descriptively examines the degree to which the gender wealth gap exists in the US and how the gap differs by household structure, age, parental status, and race. Preliminary findings show that the gender wealth gap is significant among both married and unmarried individuals. The gap is larger among the married as compared to never married. Married men own an average of $30,000 more wealth than married women. These results are particularly poignant considering that previous research examining the gender wealth gap in the US have excluded married individuals.

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 Presented in Session 31. Wealth and Debt Disparities