Using IPUMS data on U.S. states from 1980 to 2010, we examine the effect of economic freedom on the gender income gap. We find that economic freedom is positively related to an increase in the gender income gap. When we break up the index into its components, we find different effects of various types of policy. For example, we find that decreases in government spending and a lower minimum wage have a statistically significant and positive effect on gender income disparities across states.