Press release from Wyoming Council for Women’s Issues:
Governor Mark Gordon signed Wyoming’s Equal Pay Day proclamation this morning, June 17, in the Kendrick Gallery.
Equal Pay Day, which was officially noted on June 10 this year, marks how far into the year women must work in order to earn what men earned in the previous year. The day is dedicated to raising awareness of the gender pay gap and the economic impact it has on women and communities. The date differs from year to year if the gender pay gap widens or shrinks and also varies based on race and ethnicity, as not all groups of women earn the same.
At the proclamation signing, representatives from the Wyoming Council for Women and the Wyoming Women’s Foundation spoke briefly with the governor about the wage gap in Wyoming.
“This is the 20th year of the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, and the wage gap has existed since before then,” said Rebekah Smith, the director of the Foundation. “We have committed to a renewed effort to closing that gap, and we are grateful for your support.”
It’s important to dispel the myth that Wyoming’s wage gap exists solely because of the industries that operate here, Smith added. In Wyoming, women earn 70.6 cents for every $1 men earn, according to the most recently available data. In 2018, a report by the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services found that 13 cents of Wyoming’s wage gap could not be explained by industry or other factors.
For more information about the Wyoming Women’s Council, visit www.
For more information about the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, visit https://wywf.org.