Women’s Wages Lag Behind Men’s In Idaho By More Than 25 Percent

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A teacher prepares for class.

Another day, another study that places Idaho among the worst states in terms of the gender pay gap.

This time, it’s the American Association of University Women that’s tracking the disparities in men’s and women’s earnings by state.  The AAUW study places Idaho 43rd, based on federal data from 2010.

What does placing 43rd mean?  Well, median pay for a full-time worker in Idaho is $41,128, if that worker is a man.  If the worker is a woman, it’s $30,403.  Put in other terms, women in Idaho earn about 74 percent as much as men.

As the study points out, these differences cannot be explained away by differences in men’s and women’s educational and occupational choices.  However, the “segregation of occupations” does contribute to the pay gap.

It’s not the first time we’ve noted Idaho’s gender wage disparity.  Last month, the financial news and commentary site 24/7 Wall Street ranked Boise the eight worst city, based on this measure.