Wage Inequality Hurts All, Not Just Women
Casper Star
November 9, 2003
Nancy Freudenthal
PERSPECTIVE
During lunch with a friend, I mentioned the Wyoming Women's Foundation. His response was, "Why do women need a foundation? More women than men enter college. Women-owned businesses are rapidly expanding. Women are assuming more leadership positions. How much help do they need?"
Surprised by his comment I replied, "Do you know the Wyoming statistics?"
Wyoming cherishes its "equality firsts." We were the first state to grant women the right to vote. We had the first woman governor, the first woman justice of the peace, and the first all-woman jury. While we honor this history, does it improve the quality of life for women today? I think not.
• Wyoming women are more likely than men to face violence and fear. Over 90 percent of all victims of domestic violence are women and children.
• Wyoming women struggle with poverty in raising their children. With Wyoming's high divorce rate (50 percent above the national average), one in four families is a single-parent family. More than one-third of these families lives below the federal poverty level. Most single parents are women.
• Wyoming's best and brightest women are leaving the state. While more wom- enroll in college, fewer women than men enter the Wyoming work force after graduation. Wyoming women are leading the "brain drain," taking their education, innovation and skills with them.
• Wyoming women are more likely to be unemployed or under-employed. Wyoming is last in the nation on gender pay equity, with women earning 67 cents compared to every dollar earned by men.
This wage disparity statistic is truly significant. It explains the high rate of single-parent families living in poverty. It robs Wyoming of human capital, as too many women choose to not work, or to leave Wyoming for better employment. The wage gap is a barrier that keeps too many women and girls from achieving economic self-sufficiency.
Last year the Wyoming Legislature funded a study on the disparity in wages between men and women. The study tells us that this wage disparity is hurting Wyoming's economy to the tune of an estimated $65 million each year (not counting higher social services costs due to low wages and unemployment). Wage disparity not just a problem for women.; it is everyone's problem. It robs our women of a fair wage and it robs our economy of jobs, productivity and taxes.
The study also tells us that a main reason Wyoming has such a large wage gap is because wages for Wyomingwomen are lower than the national average, while male wages are considerably higher than average. In short, we need to increase female wages.
How do we do this? The answer lies in a combined effort — by individuals, by employers, by nonprofits and by the state — to pro-mote fair treatment, equal pay and equal economic opportunity for all Wyoming workers.
Specifically, we can:
• Raise public awareness: The wage gap is real. It is hurting our families and our economy. We cannot allow the issue to be shelved as ust another report. Equal opportunity and equal pay will happen only when our leaders say it should.
• Become informed and end discrimination: A certain amount of the gap is due to illegal discrimination. Workers employers must become better educated about their rights and responsibilities. Employers might consider a self-audit to make sure pay differences are not caused by discrimination.
Wyoming must enforce its laws to stop discrimination.
• Promote equal economic opportunity: As long as women remain in in education, nursing, service, support and sales jobs, while men choose higher-paying mining, transportation and construction jobs, the wage gap will be a problem. Women should be persuaded to choose higher-paying occupations, and employers should allow them equal opportunity to enter these nontraditional jobs. Schools and parents can begin to break occupation stereotypes. Mentoring programs can help women understand what it takes to succeed and how to gain recognition for their work. We can join other states in documenting a "self-sufficient" wage and then use this as a basis to improve wages. Finally, Wyoming must continue its long-term efforts to diversify the economy is there are better career choices for women.
• Provide more opportunities for full time work: Wyoming women work more part-time jobs than pn do. In many cases this occurs because childcare is unavailable or extremely ex-pensive for multiple children. Part time work pays less and has fewer benefits. An examination of childcare options could improve this situation.
• Change practices: Government, with its thousands of employees, can lead by examining and changing wage practices for appropriate jobs.
• Become involved: We should support community and nonprofit efforts to end wage disparity. I am sup-porting the Wyoming Women's Foundation, as an important endowed fund dedicated to help women in the Equality State achieve economic self-sufficiency.
Nancy Freudenthal (nfreud@state.wy.us) is the wife of Gov. Dave Freudenthal. She works as an attorney in the Cheyenne office of Davis and Cannon.