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St. Paul, Minnesota Leads in Women’s Workforce Participation but Gender Pay Gap Persists
A recent report from the University of Minnesota has highlighted Minnesota as a national leader in women’s workforce participation. However, despite this positive statistic, a gender pay gap still exists in the state. The 2024 Status of Women and Girls report, a joint project with the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, revealed that women in Minnesota, regardless of race or ethnicity, earn 81 cents for every dollar earned by a white man. The gap is even wider for women of color, with Black women earning 62 cents and Latino women earning 57 cents for every dollar.
Occupational Segregation as a Contributing Factor
Dr. Christina Ewig, the director for the Center on Women, Gender, and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota, pointed out one of the contributing factors to the gender pay gap as “occupational segregation.” This refers to the phenomenon where more women are concentrated in lower-wage jobs compared to men. Dr. Ewig highlighted this issue during her testimony before the Minnesota Senate jobs committee, emphasizing the imbalance between male-dominated higher-paying jobs and female-dominated lower-paying jobs.
Challenges Faced by Women in the Workforce
While Minnesota boasts the second-highest women’s workforce participation rates in the nation, challenges persist for women in the workforce. Women are more likely than men to work part-time or take breaks from work to care for their children, resulting in interruptions in their work experience that exacerbate the gender pay gap. Additionally, the report revealed that a staggering 94% of Minnesota families spend more on childcare than the recommended 7% of their income set by the federal government. The cost of childcare often surpasses that of in-state tuition at the University of Minnesota, leading many women to question the value of entering or remaining in the workforce.
Potential Solutions to Close the Gap
To address the gender pay gap in Minnesota, Dr. Ewig suggested several solutions. These include raising the minimum wage, implementing pay transparency laws, investing in high-quality childcare, and enforcing existing equal employment laws to prevent wage discrimination. By taking concrete steps to address these issues, Minnesota can work towards closing the gender pay gap and creating a more equitable workforce for all.
Caroline Cummings, an Emmy-winning reporter covering politics, public policy, and government, contributed to this report.
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