Question

figure 2. female - to - male earnings ratio and median earnings of full - time, year - round workers 15 years and older by sex: 1960 to 2017

1. how many times as much was male median earnings than womens median earnings in 2017?
2. for every $100 a male earned in median earnings, how much did a women earn in 2017?
3. why is it important that the earnings are in 2017 dollars?
4. how does this graphic show “middle - class incomes are treading water”?

Explanation:

Step1: Identify male and female median earnings in 2017 from the graph

From the graph, male median earnings in 2017 is $52,148 and female median earnings in 2017 is $40,677.

Step2: Calculate how many times male median earnings is of female median earnings in 2017

We use the formula $\frac{\text{Male median earnings}}{\text{Female median earnings}}$. So, $\frac{52148}{40677}\approx1.28$.

Step3: Calculate female earnings for every $100 of male earnings in 2017

Let the female - earnings be $x$ for $100$ of male earnings. We set up a proportion $\frac{x}{100}=\frac{40677}{52148}$. Solving for $x$, we get $x = 100\times\frac{40677}{52148}\approx78$.

Step4: Explain importance of 2017 - dollars

Using 2017 - dollars adjusts for inflation. This allows for a fair comparison of earnings over time, as the purchasing - power of money changes. Without adjusting for inflation, it would be difficult to determine if changes in earnings are due to real increases in income or just the effects of inflation.

Step5: Explain how graph shows middle - class incomes are "treading water"

The graph shows that both male and female median earnings have relatively flat trends over the years, with only small fluctuations. This indicates that there has not been a significant real - growth in median earnings over time, which is what is meant by "treading water".

Answer:

1. Approximately 1.28 times.
2. Approximately $78.
3. Using 2017 - dollars adjusts for inflation, allowing for a fair comparison of earnings over time.
4. The relatively flat trends of male and female median earnings with only small fluctuations over the years indicate a lack of significant real - growth in median earnings.