Report says Iowa women still face wage gap
By Fred Love, Journal Des Moines Bureau | Posted: Wednesday, September 10, 2008
DES MOINES -- The average working woman in Iowa earned about 78 cents for every dollar earned by a man in 2007, according to a report released Tuesday from the Iowa Policy Project.
Wage discrimination accounts for some of the wage gap, along with other factors, such as women holding a smaller proportion of high-wage jobs in the state, said Beth Pearson, a research associate for the Iowa Policy Project and author of the report.
"It's not just some holdover from the old economy," she said during a telephone news conference. "This is an issue that continues to face young women in Iowa's economy.
"The report shows that Iowa's wage gap has narrowed steadily over the past few decades. Women in the state earned 59 percent of what men made in 1981, according to the report. But Iowa's wage gap in 2007 was more than 3 cents lower than the national average of 81.4 cents.
Pearson urged state lawmakers to adopt a new child care assistance policy that would help women entering the work force.
Increased paid leave for women who take time off from work to care for loved ones or newborn children could also contribute to work place equality for women.
The wage gap also limits women's options as they approach retirement because lower wages mean they're less invested in Social Security and pensions, Pearson said. "Women are earning less from each of those sources of income, and that means in their time of retirement they have less to draw on," she said.
Rep. Linda Miller, R-Bettendorf, said employers should strive to offer their workers flexible schedules to accommodate family issues, but she cautioned that requiring businesses to provide more paid leave to employees may be a hindrance.
"I don't know that you can say more paid leave, but I'm certainly supportive of more flex time," Miller said.
She said she also supports tax credits for parents to help pay for child care.
Rep. Deborah Berry, D-Waterloo, said she supports expanded paid leave opportunities and help with child care costs to balance the wage difference. "That's a huge concern that women are making 78 cents to the dollar compared to men, particularly for doing the same work," Berry said.
She also noted that minority women experience an even steeper wage gap. The Iowa Policy Project's study couldn't report on the minority wage gap because of sample size limitations. But the report said black and Hispanic women see a more severe gap throughout the Midwest.
Iowa women make up a higher proportion of the work force than in all but four states, according to the report.
The report shows that nearly 67 percent of Iowa women work, compared with a national women labor force participation of about 59 percent.
Only Nebraska, Minnesota and the Dakotas have higher labor force participation rates among women, according to the report.
More than 32 percent of Iowa women in the labor force work part-time, while 18.6 percent of Iowa men in the labor force work part-time.
Fred Love can be reached at (515) 243-0138 or fred.love@lee.net.
Wage discrimination accounts for some of the wage gap, along with other factors, such as women holding a smaller proportion of high-wage jobs in the state, said Beth Pearson, a research associate for the Iowa Policy Project and author of the report.
"It's not just some holdover from the old economy," she said during a telephone news conference. "This is an issue that continues to face young women in Iowa's economy.
"The report shows that Iowa's wage gap has narrowed steadily over the past few decades. Women in the state earned 59 percent of what men made in 1981, according to the report. But Iowa's wage gap in 2007 was more than 3 cents lower than the national average of 81.4 cents.
Pearson urged state lawmakers to adopt a new child care assistance policy that would help women entering the work force.
Increased paid leave for women who take time off from work to care for loved ones or newborn children could also contribute to work place equality for women.
The wage gap also limits women's options as they approach retirement because lower wages mean they're less invested in Social Security and pensions, Pearson said. "Women are earning less from each of those sources of income, and that means in their time of retirement they have less to draw on," she said.
Rep. Linda Miller, R-Bettendorf, said employers should strive to offer their workers flexible schedules to accommodate family issues, but she cautioned that requiring businesses to provide more paid leave to employees may be a hindrance.
"I don't know that you can say more paid leave, but I'm certainly supportive of more flex time," Miller said.
She said she also supports tax credits for parents to help pay for child care.
Rep. Deborah Berry, D-Waterloo, said she supports expanded paid leave opportunities and help with child care costs to balance the wage difference. "That's a huge concern that women are making 78 cents to the dollar compared to men, particularly for doing the same work," Berry said.
She also noted that minority women experience an even steeper wage gap. The Iowa Policy Project's study couldn't report on the minority wage gap because of sample size limitations. But the report said black and Hispanic women see a more severe gap throughout the Midwest.
Iowa women make up a higher proportion of the work force than in all but four states, according to the report.
The report shows that nearly 67 percent of Iowa women work, compared with a national women labor force participation of about 59 percent.
Only Nebraska, Minnesota and the Dakotas have higher labor force participation rates among women, according to the report.
More than 32 percent of Iowa women in the labor force work part-time, while 18.6 percent of Iowa men in the labor force work part-time.
Fred Love can be reached at (515) 243-0138 or fred.love@lee.net.
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ER wrote on Sep 10, 2008 5:34 PM:
For example, Mr. Owen ran for public office as a Democrat but that isn't noted. Mr. Fisher is an IU professor actively involved in anti-WalMart efforts.
The most amusing thing I found was the youtube video showing Mr. Osterburg commiting his support to Barak Obama.
Nonpartisan, huh? Hardly! " "
ER wrote on Sep 10, 2008 10:58 AM:
Anyway, I had never heard of the Iowa Policy Project until last night. With nothing better to do, I decided to view their site. After reading that they are "non-profit, NONPARTISAN", but noting the research and special projects they've been involved with, I smelled the Left. "
Pete wrote on Sep 10, 2008 10:21 AM: