Study Looks Into Pay, Equity Gaps In Utah’s Executive Branch
May 24, 2021, 8:48 PM | Updated: 10:19 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A new study by the Utah Governor’s Office of Planning and Development revealed that within government jobs, more men are getting higher paying jobs and more leadership opportunities than women.
According to 17,500 documents reviewed for the study, men earned 2.2% more than women and non-minorities earned 0.6% more than minorities.
It’s a statistic that Nate Talley with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget said shows there is close equal pay for equal work.
The study also found there are fewer women and minorities getting higher paying jobs and leadership roles.
Talley said they will be exploring those disparities and look to correct them.
“We do know in the past decade that there have been efforts to really try to move the needle on that,” said Susan Madsen who is an expert on women in the workforce.
Madsen has conducted multiple studies at Utah State University. She mentioned a bill Utah Sen. Luz Escamillia sponsored, asking for an independent economist to review gender and race pay disparities across the state.
The state’s GOP shut down the bill at the time, but Madsen believes that there could be more support for a type of bill like this in 2021.
“We have seen more people, more men, come out and support pay equity,” said Madsen.
She thinks the governor’s office is setting an example for people when it comes to taking pay gaps seriously.
“They did the study and now we just wait to see what initiatives they take next.” said Madsen.
