Equal Pay Day highlights income gap

Idaho fifth-worst in U.S. for difference between men’s, women’s pay

On Tuesday, Equal Pay Day marked the number of additional days the average American woman would have to work to earn the same amount her male counterpart made in 2015.

In terms of equal pay, a new study from the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress ranks Idaho fifth-worst in the nation, because in the Gem State, men earn just over 27 percent more than women.

Nationally, the figure is 21 percent, or about 79 cents for women to a man’s dollar.

Shari Chatterton, director of the Women’s Business Center of Idaho, said Idaho’s 2015 “Status of Women in Business” report had some pretty grim numbers as well.

“Idaho is pretty rough for women in business,” said Chatterton. “Last year’s Status of Women in Business, we are 50th in the nation and in women in professional or managerial positions, we are also 50th. We are 44th in the nation for wage equality.”

The report says states with higher minimum wages fare better on the gender pay gap, but Idaho has one of the lowest in the country.

State lawmakers ignored pleas to raise it during the just-ended session, and even passed a law to keep municipalities from doing so on their own.

Chatterton said despite the odds, the Women’s Business Center is doing its part to help Idaho women start their own ventures.

“We believe through self-employment, there are opportunities for women to be able to have a livable wage and for us to kind of level the playing field,” Chatterton said.

The report says Congress could improve female workers’ lot by passing the Equal Rights Amendment, the Paycheck Fairness Act, and policies that guarantee paid family and sick leave, universal child care and flexible work hours.