Gender pay gap greater in Western Pennsylvania
Newly released rankings of the gender pay gap in Pennsylvania by congressional district show that women in the western part of the state have a much steeper hill to climb to achieve equal pay than their counterparts out east.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) in Washington, D.C., ranked congressional districts in each state by the earnings ratio of men’s and women’s salaries.
Pennsylvania ranked 27th with women earning 79 percent of what men receive, citing median annual earnings of $50,976 for men and $40,214 for women. The national ratio was 80 percent with New York and Delaware sharing first place at 89 percent each and Wyoming last at 64 percent.
AAUW reported that Pennsylvania has “some equal pay protections, but they are incomplete.” It said the state can do more by offering safeguards such as banning employers from seeking salary histories, prohibiting retaliation and discrimination against employees who discuss wages, and increase fines as a deterrent for employers.
In western Pennsylvania, every congressional district ranked at the bottom except for the 14th Congressional District represented by U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, whose district includes Pittsburgh. His district was ranked 4th in the state.
U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus, R-Sewickley, saw his 12th Congressional District ranked 14th, U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Everett, had his 18th Congressional District ranked 16th, the 18th Congressional District represented by U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair Township, was ranked 17th and the 3rd Congressional District represented by U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler County came in last at 18th.
While women earn 83 percent of men’s salaries ($46,354/$38,451) in Doyle’s district, they receive 74.7 percent in Rothfus’ district ($54,375/$40,622), 72.5 percent in Shuster’s ($46,159/$33,468), 71.9 percent in Murphy’s ($57,414/$41,253), and just 66.8 percent in Kelly’s ($50,235/$33,556).
Pennsylvania women fare best in the 2nd Congressional District, where women earn 89.7 percent of men’s pay ($48,781/$41,971) while second is the 1st Congressional District in which women earn 88.2 percent ($45,463/$40,109) of what men earn.
Kate Rosario, Rothfus’ spokeswoman, said her boss supports equal pay for equal work. “It is unclear how the data in this report was compiled,” she said. “The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act operate to prohibit discrimination against women in terms of pay. Those laws should be fully enforced.”
Shuster’s office provided a statement that said he also backs equal pay for equal work and “expanding opportunities for all people.” The “best way” to accomplish that, the statement said, “is by reducing regulations, red tape, and other barriers that prevent the economy from growing.”
Murphy’s office did not provide a response to the rankings.
Peggy Outon, the executive director of the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University, said the AAUW’s report is consistent with the earnings data the Bayer Center has gathered over the last eight years concerning the gender pay gap in the nonprofit sector.
“This is a pernicious and persistent problem,” Outon said, citing an estimate by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research that determined if current trends continue women will not achieve pay equity until 2059.
Pennsylvania ranking in the middle is “also consistent” with other studies, she said.
Outon observed that the semi-rural and rural areas in western Pennsylvania congressional districts offer traditional job roles for women, such as retail or office work, as opposed to the more executive-level, high-paying jobs found in more urban areas such as Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Even so, Outon said, women with MBAs are generally offered between 7 and 9 percent less than male counterparts and the pay gap only increases over time. But, Outon said she remains optimistic as millennials flow into the workforce, become supervisors and begin questioning pay inequity.
Many millennials, she said, are the children of working mothers and single, working mothers who might not want to wait until 2059 to bring equal pay to fruition. “We’re going to see real change,” Outon predicted.
States are also starting to address the situation, Outon said, pointing to Massachusetts recently prohibiting employers from asking for prospective employees’ previous salaries. “The pot is boiling and is continuing to boil and the issue is being discussed,” she said.