El Paso, Texas (KTSM)- An analysis by the Chamber of Commerce showed that there was a widening earning gap between men and women in El Paso.
The study looked at the median earnings between men and women demonstrating that the gap between both stands at $10,162.
Tom Fullerton a professor of economics at the University of Texas at El Paso said the study fails to consider various factors:
Educational differences between workers
The covid-19 pandemic
Women leaving the workforce due to caretaking roles
Cumulative years of experience
Fullerton said there is no specific evidence that demonstrates El Paso is deliberately discriminating against women.
“The study does shine a light on what may be a potential problem. More research is needed to determine whether it is discrimination that is causing the pay gaps to have grown in recent years,” said Fullerton.
Naomi Fertman, the assistant professor of instruction with the women and gender studies program said there are existing limiting factors that limit women from having the same earnings from men.
“Women face particular challenges when it comes to getting promoted, things like pregnancy and parenting, sexual violence or harassment in the workplace impact the ways that women and girls start their education and then are able to move into their careers,” said Fertman.
Fertman said we are still seeing disproportionate numbers of women and girls in the STEM field. She said this is because women and girls are facing barriers because there is a lack of women representation in the STEM field.
“Young girls do not have as many mentors who are women in the field, they do not have as many opportunities to move to higher positions. Those mentorships relationships are important in advancing careers,” said Fertman.
Women in the workforce are not where they were compared to 50 years ago. A study from pew research said women have seen improvements in workforce participation and increased their presence in the highest-paying jobs. Despite these advancements, progress to close the gender pay gap has been slow.
Read: Read More