▁men . ▁Med ian ▁income ▁for ▁female ▁ear ners ▁male ▁ear ners ▁increased ▁ 1 5 7 . 2 % ▁versus ▁ 3 6 . 2 % ▁for ▁men , ▁over ▁four ▁times ▁as ▁fast . ▁ ▁Today ▁the ▁median ▁male ▁worker ▁ear ns ▁roughly ▁ 6 8 . 4 % ▁more ▁than ▁their ▁female ▁counter parts , ▁compared ▁to ▁ 1 7 6 . 3 % ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 3 . ▁ ▁The ▁median ▁income ▁of ▁men ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 5 ▁was ▁ 2 % ▁higher ▁than ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 3 ▁compared ▁to ▁a ▁ 7 4 . 6 % ▁increase ▁for ▁female ▁ear ners . ▁ ▁Ra cial ▁differences ▁remained ▁stark ▁as ▁well , ▁with ▁the ▁highest ▁ear ning ▁sex - gender ▁dem ographic ▁of ▁workers ▁aged ▁ 2 5 ▁or ▁older , ▁Asian ▁males ▁( who ▁were ▁roughly ▁tied ▁with ▁white ▁males ) ▁ear ning ▁slightly ▁more ▁than ▁twice ▁as ▁much ▁as ▁the ▁lowest - ear ning ▁dem ographic , ▁His pan ic ▁females . ▁As ▁mentioned ▁above , ▁inequality ▁between ▁races ▁and ▁gender ▁pers isted ▁at ▁similar ▁education ▁levels . ▁Ra cial ▁differences ▁were ▁overall ▁more ▁pron ounced ▁among ▁male ▁than ▁among ▁female ▁income ▁ear ners . ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 9 , ▁His pan ics ▁were ▁more ▁than ▁twice ▁as ▁likely ▁to ▁be ▁poor ▁than ▁non - H is pan ic ▁whites , ▁research ▁indicates . ▁Lower ▁average ▁English ▁ability , ▁low ▁levels ▁of ▁educational ▁att ain ment , ▁part -