Just days after Utah was deemed the second-most sexist state and the worst state for women’s equality in national reports, a new study shows wages for Utah women have actually declined in recent years.
That decline stands in contrast to national trends, which show a slight increase in women’s wages — and Utah’s pay gap between men and women already is the worst in the country.
“It does not bode well that we’re beginning to see this occur (in Utah),” said Chandra Childers, researcher at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research in Washington, D.C. Childers presented data on women’s employment, education, health and political participation at the Utah Women’s Policy Conference, hosted by the YWCA of Utah on Thursday in Salt Lake City.