KOKOMO – A recent study shows that the gender pay gap in the two congressional districts representing Howard County is significantly wider than the national average.
A 50-state analysis released by the American Association of University Women found that women in Indiana’s fourth congressional district earned 73 percent of the average male salary in 2016, while women in the fifth district earned just below 75 percent.
Combined, the two districts cover all of Howard County.
Indiana was ranked by the AAUW as having the sixth largest pay gap of the nation's 50 states, with an earnings ratio of 74 percent, meaning women make 26 percent less than men.
Nationally, women earned 80 percent as much as men, according to the study, which utilized 2016 data from the U.S. Census Bureau and was released earlier this month.
In total, median annual earnings in the U.S. in 2016 for men working full-time, year-round were $51,640. Women also working full-time earned 20 percent less, at $41,554, noted the AAUW.
In Indiana’s fourth district, men earned $50,238, compared to $36,805 for women; in the fifth district, men earned $60,841, while women earned $45,551.
“The gap narrowed over the past half-century, but progress has stalled in recent reports,” reads the Indiana analysis from the AAUW. “Yet, the Equal Pay Act has not been updated since 1963. Immediate legislative and executive actions are needed to enable women to bring home the pay they have rightfully earned.”
In a comprehensive report titled “The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap,” AAUW officials state that women are expected to reach pay equity with men in 2059, based on the rate of change between 1960 and 2016.
“But even that slow progress has stalled in recent years,” reads the report. “If change continues at the slower rate seen since 2001, women will not reach pay equity with men until 2119.”
Regarding the cause of the pay gap, the AAUW’s “Simple Truth” report points in part to “occupation and choice.”
“Women and men often choose different college majors and types of jobs after graduation,” reads the report. “But women experience pay gaps at every education level and in nearly every line of work.”
Notably, women and men tend to work in different types of jobs, notes the report.
While women are disproportionately represented in education, office and administrative support and health care occupations, men are disproportionately represented in construction, maintenance and repair, and production and transportation occupations.
“Segregation by occupation is a major factor behind the pay gap,” according to the report. “Even though a pay gap exists in nearly every occupational field, jobs traditionally associated with men tend to pay better than traditionally female-dominated jobs that require the same level of skill.”
The report explains that “increasing the number of women in traditionally male fields will likely improve wages for women, but it is unlikely to fully eliminate the pay gap,” and highlights male-dominated jobs like computer programming where women still face a pay gap.
“It will take more than individual women pursuing careers in historically male fields to ensure fair pay for all,” reads UUAW's analysis.