Women's wages in legal occupations peak at just 35, makingonly median earnings of $75,000—$93,800 less than men's peakincome. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Bad enough that women make less than men, spend less time in theworkplace and are often stuck in part-time or temporary jobsbecause of childrearing responsibilities or caring for anelderly relative. Now there's news about yet another factor thatcontributes to the gender pay gap: peak pay.

According to research from PayScale, women's earnings hit theirpeak literally years before men's do—meaning that over theircareers, women's rise in earnings power just … stops. According tothe report, women's earnings peak on average at $66,700 at age 44.For men, earnings peak at $101,200—at age 55. That's an 11year difference in which men continue to build earning power andwomen… don't.

If that's not bad enough, the situation is getting worse, sincein 2012 PayScale's research showed that women's earnings peaked atage 39 while men's continued to grow till 48, so the difference wassmaller at 9 years. So men gain an extra two years of increasingearning power that women do not.

Since women on average live longer than men, they're the oneswho really need extended growth in earnings, but they don't get it.Men do. And since they're handicapped from the get-go, not evenstarting their careers on an even footing with men, that means theproblem compounds with age. Says the report, “The median income ofwomen age 22 is $40,400 versus $52,500 for men age 22. By the timewomen are aged 37–38, the growth of median wages flatlines.”

The situation is worst in the legal profession, the report adds,with men in the legal field making the most money at age 56, withmedian earnings of $168,800. Women in legal occupations insteadpeak at just 35, making only median earnings of $75,000—that's$93,800 less than men's peak income.

Different demographic groups suffer at different rates, too,although women of all races start out making less than men; butwomen of other races than white see their wage growth start totaper off in their late 20s—considerably earlier than it does forwhite women.