Final answer:
Since the 1980s, nominal wages for US workers have increased, but real wages adjusted for inflation and productivity gains have not keeping pace, leading to a sense of economic stagnation among the middle and working classes. Additionally, disparities in wages along lines of race and gender, while improved, continue to persist.
Step-by-step explanation:
The real wages of US workers have undergone significant changes since the 1980s. While nominal wages have risen, the actual purchasing power of these wages has not kept pace with productivity gains or inflation. In the 1970s and 1980s, productivity growth slowed down, leading to a scenario where wage increases did not align with the slowed productivity. This resulted in higher natural rates of unemployment during that period. Despite nominal wages growing, the economic restructuring, supply-side economics of the 1980s, and events such as the Great Recession have limited the benefits felt by average Americans. Furthermore, wage disparities still persist regarding race and gender, as per the U.S. Department of Labor. The ratio of wages for black workers to white workers remained largely unchanged following improvements in the late 1960s and 1970s, while the ratio of wages for female to male workers has seen a more significant rise since the 1980s.