The Wyoming Council for Women is pleased to partner with the Wyoming Women’s Foundation in announcing June 10 is Wyoming’s Equal Pay Day.
Governor Gordon will recognize Equal Pay Day with a public signing on June 17 in the Governor’s Office in the Kendrick Gallery at 11 a.m. Equal Pay Day marks the date symbolizing how far into the year women must work in order to earn what men earned in the previous year. The day is dedicated to raising awareness of the gender pay gap and the economic impact that it has on women and communities. The date differs from year to year if the gender pay gap widens or shrinks and also varies based on race and ethnicity as not all groups of women earn the same. Based on calculations conducted by Cathy Connolly, PhD, and the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Wyoming women earn 70.6¢ for every $1 earned by men. Those calculations come from 2018 Census data from the U.S. Department of Labor available in the American Community Survey five-year tables.
The Wyoming Women’s Foundation, whose mission is to invest in economic self-sufficiency for women and opportunities for girls, partners with Dr. Connolly to track and analyze the gender wage gap regularly. Bekah Smith, director of the foundation, explains, “The wage gap is important to the Women’s Foundation because it measures the potential that women could be earning if they were making the same wages as men. If this potential were realized, women and families would see economic gains. When families prosper, that economic productivity goes back into their communities and Wyoming benefits.” The Wyoming Council for Women’s Issues, a 14-member board appointed by the Governor, works to raise awareness around issues affecting women in Wyoming. According to Vice Chair, Jen Simon who also founded the Wyoming Women’s Action Network, the gender wage gap is the Council’s current focus. “The gender wage gap is a pressing economic security issue for women in Wyoming and offers economic development opportunities for the state. According to the Workforce Services report and wage disparity, closing the wage gap results in $153M in economic impact for the state. And, at a time when tax revenues are in question, closing the wage gap could result in $5M in state and local taxes.” The public is invited to join in the Equal Pay Day proclamation signing on June 17th.
