Final answer:
As of the most recent data, women in the United States earned approximately 77-81 cents for every dollar earned by men, reflecting a persistent wage gap affected by factors including occupation, career interruptions, and race/ethnicity. Option a.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the United States, the issue of wage gap between men and women is a continuous societal concern. According to a 2013 White House report, full-time working women made 77 cents for every dollar a man made. This gap slightly narrowed to 81 cents by 2020 according to Payscale.
However, it's noteworthy that these figures can vary, with some statistics pointing to women earning 84 cents for every dollar earned by men according to the Pew Research Center.
Additionally, factors like race and ethnicity can further widen the gap, with African American and Latina women earning substantially less than their Caucasian male counterparts.
Furthermore, U.S. Census Bureau data from 2010 showed that women were earning only 77 percent of what men earned for the same positions. By 2017, that figure had inched up to 80.1 percent according to the Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor.
Despite progress in education and work experience, which has helped to narrow the gender wage gap over time, the disparity still persists, influenced by factors such as career interruptions associated with motherhood and occupational segregation. Option a,