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Opinion: Darcy Juday-Show Me the Money: Why No Improvement in Pay Equity This Year?

We started the year full of hope and energy in Colorado. Women filled the Denver streets marching in January. Three bills addressing pay issues were making their way through the state legislature.
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Photo by Alexa Mazzarello on Unsplash

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

We started the year full of hope and energy in Colorado. Women filled the Denver streets marching in January. Three bills addressing pay issues were making their way through the state legislature. Colorado was ranked fourth among states for its women's/men's annual earnings ratio of 84%, a bit better than the national ratio, 80%. Given such momentum, we expected to close the wage gap a bit this year.

But then, on September 13, new U.S. Census Bureau numbers came out. The gender wage gap is stubbornly stuck, and women working full-time, year-round still take home just 80% of men's wages. Disappointingly, Colorado's ranking dropped from 4th to 21st place, as Colorado women's wages dropped from 84% to 82% of men's. That isn't the trend we had hoped to see. Sadly, all three of the Colorado equal-pay bills were postponed indefinitely as well.

Concern about the pay gap is not just a matter of fairness. Less pay means less ability to support a family, less money to pay off school loans, and less retirement and social security. Having less to spend affects our local businesses, too. Consider this: Hispanics/Latinos make up 13% of Boulder County's population, and 26% of Longmont's. Yet Latina Equal Pay Day is November 1 - that's when Latinas catch up to white men's 2017 wages - and Latinas' national wages are only 57% of white men's.  That hurts our local economy!

Why has progress on the Pay Gap stalled, and what might re-start it? Do we need more legislation, or more motivation for business? The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Longmont branch has invited CO Rep. Jonathon Singer and two local businesswomen to discuss this issue.

Darcy Juday

Public Policy chair

AAUW Longmont