Gender Pay Gap In Southwest Michigan Matches State Average

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With Equal Pay Day being recognized on Wednesday, the Michigan League for Public Policy took a look at county data on the gender wage gap. For Berrien and Van Buren counties, the gender wage gap is the same as the Michigan average, with women earning 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. In Cass County, it’s 75 cents. League spokesperson Laura Millard Ross tells WSJM News 94% of professions have a gender wage gap, but care-related professions are a factor in the overall number.

“We’re talking childcare providers or early education teachers or home healthcare aids,” Millard Ross said. “Those jobs tend to be predominately jobs that females do, and they’re also low paid.”

Millard Ross says there’s also a racial disparity.

“Black women won’t have an Equal Pay Day until August 3, Native American women will not have an Equal Pay Day until September 8, and Latinex women, not until October 21.”

Millard Ross says the pandemic has likely made the gap worse, as many women left the workforce throughout the year. The league recommends people talk to their employers about wage equality and that lawmakers approve legislation to address the issue. You can find more right here.