Editorial: Equal pay for women remains a myth in 97 percent of America : Stltoday

Editorial: Equal pay for women remains a myth in 97 percent of America : Stltoday

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"Decades of research shows a gender gap in pay even after factors like the kind of work performed and qualifications (education and experience) are taken into account," Pamela Coukos, a senior program adviser in the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, writes in a study called "Myth Busting the Pay Gap."

"These studies consistently conclude that discrimination is the best explanation of the remaining difference in pay," she noted. "No matter how you slice the data, pay discrimination is a real and persistent problem that continues to shortchange American women and their families."

That Mr. Akin's district has a larger gender pay gap than the other eight districts in Missouri has nothing to with Mr. Akin and everything to do with the women who live in that district and the failure of Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. The same for women in Mr. Costello's district.

Ms. Coukos' report says that the gap for women with advanced degrees, corporate positions and high-paying, high-skill jobs is as significant as the gap for women with lesser qualifications. She said a study of newly trained doctors showed a gender-based disparity of nearly $17,000 in 2008.
Statewide in Missouri, the annual median pay for women who work full time is $33,865 compared to $43,146 for men. In Illinois, those figures are $39,150 for women and $50,746 for men.