December 21 , 2006

Women in State Still Paid Less Than  Men

Author: Hattie Bernstein

Working women in New Hampshire are better off than those in most other states, yet their earnings still lag significantly behind men who do comparable work, according to a national report released Wednesday.

“On a number of measures, women are doing very well, but the wage disparity still exists,” said Katie Merrow, executive director of the New Hampshire Women’s Policy Institute, summing up a report by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a national think tank that monitors women’s economic progress.

“The Best and Worst State Economies for Women” revealed that nationwide significant barriers remain, despite the economic gains women have made in just a few years.

The state-by-state report ranked New Hampshire 12th in the category of employment and earnings for women, which takes into account median annual earnings, the number of women in the work force, and the number of women holding managerial and professional jobs.

The state ranked 8th on an index that measured the climate for economic policy, a rating that looks at education, business ownership, poverty levels and health insurance coverage.

“By and large, women in New Hampshire are doing well. They’re substantial contributors to the state’s economy,” Merrow said.

But the executive of the nonprofit policy institute was quick to point out the mixed message the report conveys: While women in the state are doing well economically, the state ranks 45th in the nation with regard to an earning ratio, how much women and men make for comparable jobs.

In New Hampshire, the ratio of women’s to men’s earnings is 71 percent. That means a woman earns 71 cents on every dollar earned by a man for similar work. Nationally, the ratio representing the wage gap is 77 percent.

Chris Williams, president of the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce, said the national report was not a surprise.

“It’s indicative of many studies where New Hampshire ranks well,” Williams said. “It’s the result of a friendly business climate and quality of life in the state. Beyond that, New Hampshire is like any other state and has a long way to go before we see a true equalization of wages between men and women. We recognize there is still work to be done.”

The state ranked 10th highest in the nation with a median annual income of $34,000 for women holding year-round, full-time jobs. But Merrow observed that comparing New Hampshire with neighboring Vermont reveals another side of the high ranking.

In Vermont, the median annual income for full-time, year-round work is $31,800, a ranking of 20th nationwide, Merrow said. While the wage is less, so is gap in wages compared to men.

In Vermont women earn 80 cents for every dollar a man earns, which is better than New Hampshire.

Merrow said wage disparity between men and women and economic well-being are closely linked.

“While both women and men are benefiting from the economy in New Hampshire, women are disproportionately represented at the lower end of the income spectrum,” Merrow said.

The national report revealed that New Hampshire ranks first in the nation for the percent of woman living above poverty, 93 percent. But Merrow pointed out that while 47 percent of the state’s workers are women, 67 percent of those earning at or near the minimum wage, between $5.15 and $6.65, are women.

More than 60 percent of workers earning less than $25,000 a year in the state are women, according to the report. It also revealed that 35 percent of working women in the state hold managerial or professional positions, a ranking of 15th nationwide.

Merrow stressed that the high marks for economic well-being for women in the state don’t tell the whole story – while women are moving up the ranks in terms of education and occupation, in no state do they fare as well as men economically.

“They are moving up the ranks in terms of their education and occupation type, but equal pay continues to elude them,” said Heidi Hartmann in a prepared release. She is president of the national Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the group that released the report Wednesday.

Merrow made a similar observation, noting that the wage gap varies across New Hampshire. For example, it is greater in Berlin at 64 percent than in Keene, where women earn 78 percent of what men earn, she said.

Hattie Bernstein can be reached at 594-6439 or at hbernstein@nashuatelegraph.com.