Thursday, March 20, 2008
Lt. Governor Judge Releases Gender Wage Gap Study
Lt. Governor: “Though progress has been made, there is still much work to do”
Des Moines - Today, Lt. Governor Patty Judge released the first report in nearly a decade on the gap between salaries earned by women and men. The report found that on average women received 78 cents for every dollar earned by a man - an increase from a similar report done in 1999, which found that women earned 73 cents on the dollar to their male counterparts.
"Though progress has been made, there is still much work to do," said Lt. Governor Judge. "Governor Culver and I are committed to doing everything in our power to give Iowans the tools they need to reach their fullest potential. And for Iowa's women, that begins with paying them an equal salary to men."
The report found that in certain fields, the salary gap between women and men was small. In architectural and engineering careers; business and financial operations; and computer and mathematical science careers, there is little difference in pay.
However, in other professions, the gap was wider. Women make significantly less than men in education; healthcare; management, and sales careers.
“While it is encouraging to see the wage gap has closed in a number of career fields, Iowa must work to close the gap in the remaining areas,” indicated Iowa Workforce Development Director Elisabeth Buck. “Iowa Workforce Development will work diligently with others to ensure all Iowans have the opportunity to reach their potential and be compensated equitably.”
Lt. Governor Judge, who served as Iowa’s first female Secretary of Agriculture prior to her current position, pointed to some of the work being done to address this issue.
"To solve this problem, we must start with educating our children. By implementing a statewide model core curriculum, we will level the playing field between all Iowa students. We may not solve this problem overnight, but together, I know it can be done. The good news for women in Iowa is that there are great jobs coming to our state and employers looking for well-trained employees."
Today's report was the third to look specifically at issues of gender wage equity over the past 20 years. The report was a joint effort between Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women.
“We thought it was important to renew public discussion on this issue, and to get this information into women’s hands, especially when they are still young,” said Rachel Scott, Division Administrator of the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women. “Women need to understand that, unfortunately, many traditional career choices will not offer them an equal shot at financial stability or success. We need to be looking at a wide variety of new career avenues.”
A full copy of the report is attached.