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

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

According to research from PayScale, women's earnings hit their peak literally years before men's do—meaning that over their careers, women's rise in earnings power just … stops. According to the 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 11 year difference in which men continue to build earning power and women… don't.

If that's not bad enough, the situation is getting worse, since in 2012 PayScale's research showed that women's earnings peaked at age 39 while men's continued to grow till 48, so the difference was smaller at 9 years. So men gain an extra two years of increasing earning power that women do not.

Since women on average live longer than men, they're the ones who really need extended growth in earnings, but they don't get it. Men do. And since they're handicapped from the get-go, not even starting their careers on an even footing with men, that means the problem compounds with age. Says the report, “The median income of women age 22 is $40,400 versus $52,500 for men age 22. By the time women 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, with median earnings of $168,800. Women in legal occupations instead peak 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; but women of other races than white see their wage growth start to taper off in their late 20s—considerably earlier than it does for white women.