Reposted from the Wall Street Journal.

The pay gap between women and men narrowed last year, albeit slightly, the first time the gap contracted by more than a penny since the recession began in 2007.

Women earned 78.3 cents for every dollar men earned in 2013, a Census Bureau report released Tuesday showed. That compares to 76.5 cents a year earlier.

The statistic, which has floated between 76 and 78 cents in recent years, is frequently cited by politicians who support measures to reduce the difference, including President Barack Obama.

In one of his first acts in office, Mr. Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act in January 2009, making it easier for women to sue their employers over pay discrimination.

But until last year, the pay gap remained virtually unchanged or widened each year of his presidency. More recently, Mr. Obama pushed for additional legislation aimed at combating gender discrimination. This spring he signed an executive order that prohibits federal contractors from retaliating against workers for discussing their pay with each other.

The latest data shows the smallest gender-pay gap on records back to 1960, but continued to show a wide disparity between the men and women. The median earnings of men with full-time, year-round jobs were $50,033 last year, compared to $39,157 for comparable women.

Last year, the number of men working full-time increased by 1.8 million. The number of women doing the same rose by 1.0 million.

Differences in pay between genders has wide implications. One is found in the types of families that live in poverty.

The Census report showed that 11.2% of families with children live in poverty. But that number jumps to 30.6% for families led by a single mother. The poverty rate for married-couple families was 5.8% last year.