By George Anderson

The latest Labor Department numbers show that the average pay raise for women was up 3.9 percent last year compared to 1.9 percent for men. Despite the gain, women still earn only 77.5 percent of what men make.

The narrowing wage gap between the sexes is being attributed, in part, to the growth of service sector industries. Women comprise a larger percentage of workers in these fields compared to industrial businesses, according to a recent article in The New York Times.

Sue Shellenbarger, writes in her Work & Family column in The Wall Street Journal, “The story behind the story is that women’s growing economic clout will accelerate a seismic upheaval in family roles, with more frequent swapping of breadwinning, parenting and housekeeping duties.”

Moderator’s Comment: How dramatically will the narrowing
of the gender gap impact family, work and society in the future? What will it
mean for retailers and CPG companies? [George
Anderson – Moderator]

• Wage
  Gap Between Men and Women Shrinks – The New York Times
• Women’s
  Salaries Spark Upheavals in Family Roles – The Wall Street Journal