The salary gap between men and women is visible as early as a year after young people begin their careers, and it widens over time, Reuters reported.

According to a study released today by the Washington, D.C.-based American Association of University Women Education Foundation, women working full time earn 80 percent of what men earn one year out of college. Ten years later, women earn 69 percent as much as men. The study accounted for such factors as the number of hours worked, occupations and parenthood, and concluded that about one-quarter of the pay gap is due to gender discrimination. Researchers involved with the study argued that there should be no gender gap in pay one year out of college, when men and women typically don’t have children or a significant amount of work experience.

The study, titled “Behind the Pay Gap,” used data from the U.S. Department of Education and analyzed 19,000 college graduates between the years 1992-93 and 1999-2000.