Better Government Association fact-checks US Sen. Tammy Duckworth's gender pay gap claims

CHICAGO (WLS) -- In March, the ABC7 Chicago data team examined where Illinois stands in closing the gender pay gap.

Studies show the pay gap is slowly closing. A 2017 analysis by the Institute of Women's Policy Research predicts the pay gap in Illinois will not fully close until 2065, at current rates.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that in 2020, Illinois women earned on average 80 cents to for every dollar earned by a man. That's below the national average of 82 cents per dollar, putting Illinois in 33rd place for smallest gap out of the 50 states and D.C. However, data from the Census American Community Survey shows the gap is slightly smaller in Chicago than it is for all of Illinois, with women earning on average 81 cents for ever dollar earned by a man.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth recently tweeted about the gender pay gap.

"An extra 2 whole months and 15 days. That's how long it takes for white women to make the same amount men made in the same job last year. And it's even worse for women of color," Duckworth said.

Senator Duckworth's statement is accurate in noting that the gender pay gap is worse for Black, Latina, Native and Asian American women. But based on study she is referring to by the National Committee on Pay Gap Equity Organization, Duckworth's claim falls short.

Better Government Association Politifact Reporter Analise Trofimuk took a closer look at Duckworth's claim, and the existing data on job pay gaps, in the BGA's latest fact check.