University economists, Dr. Anne Alexander and Dr. Chian Jones Ritten, recently published an article regarding the gender wage gap (GWG) in the state of Wyoming. Released by the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, the article explores how and why the wage discrepancy in Wyoming continues to be one of the largest in the nation.
The 2022 report shows that the GWG in Wyoming between men and women is $.025, meaning that women make $0.75 for every $1.00 men make. The report suggests that over 90% of this wage gap can be attributed to discrimination in the workplace.
“Wyoming has historically had one of the largest wage gaps in the country, so finding that our state has a gap that is larger than the national average, although concerning, was not surprising,” Jones Ritten said,
“The thought that upwards of 90% of the GWG could be due to discrimination is a cause for alarm, and more research and policy designed to reduce discrimination in the workplace is needed.”
To put the wage gap in Wyoming into perspective, Jones Ritten and Alexander wrote “the average woman in Wyoming loses enough money per year from the GWG to buy a total of 108 more weeks of food, 12 more months of mortgage, 21 more months of rent, or 8,402 additional gallons of gas.”
It is estimated that over the course of one year, the GWG in Wyoming results in an estimated loss of $1.5 billion to the state economy.
“We’re not saying that people are intentionally, maliciously saying that girls will be paid less. That’s not what’s happening. It’s more history,” Alexander said.
“A lot of job offers are based on what you made in your last job. And so, if you started off with a wage gap, it will persist a lot of the time.”
According to the American Association of University Women, unless changes are made now, the wage gap will not be eliminated in the United States until the year 2097.
“It is partly driven by the fact that women tend to, in college, they tend to major in everything. But, the vast majority tend to major in fields that may end up being less well paid. So, they may end up more often in public education, or childcare roles,” Alexander said.
“Some of that will probably shift over time, we hope. But at the same time, those tend to be lower paid professions and women are much more likely to major in those fields.”
Data collection for this project began in August of 2022 and was finished by January of this year. The report shows that in Albany county, men make an average of $40,722 per year while women make an average of $30,829 per year.
“Students are tomorrow’s workers. UW students, especially women, should know of any potential disadvantages they may face in the job market, and techniques to help overcome such pay disparities. But for all students, knowing about these pay inequities is the first step in fighting against continued pay gaps,” Jones Ritten said.
“In 2023, women are paid significantly less than men. Even today, women earn just 75% of that earned by men. Once students leave UW, this will be the reality they all face.”
