By Mark Moran
A new report shows while the gender pay gap is closing, there is still a wide margin between what men and women are paid in Arizona for doing the same jobs.
The most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that women working in Arizona earned about $1,000 a week - compared to men, who earned more than $1,200 for doing the same job - or nearly 18% less.
Report co-author Mary Gatta, director of research and public policy at the National Association of Colleges and Employers, said segregated work environments are the main reason for the disparity.
"Some of that, as we see in our survey, is attributed to men and women working in different industries and different types of work," said Gatta, "so we called it 'occupational sex segregation.'"
The report shows that women are more likely to have students loans than men and earning less money means they face more barriers to repaying them.
While the report indicates women are largely satisfied with their career choices, Gatta said less pay for the same work has long-term implications.
"The pay gap continues as women continue in their careers, with less money they are paying into Social Security, it's less money they are putting into their retirement," said Gatta. So, it has immediate impacts around economic security, but also economic security as we age."
The report shows that while almost three-quarters of men work for private-sector companies, just over half of women do.
Thirty percent of women work for nonprofits, where compensation is typically lower than in the private sector.
Gatta said more women are now focused on finding non-traditional jobs, which could eventually help close the gap.
