Government Gender Gap Narrowing in Ohio state government

According to a story published in The Dispatch, based in Columbus, OH, women are edging closer to pay equity with men in Ohio state government.

Statistics provided to The Dispatch in response to a public-records request filed in January show that female state workers earned an average hourly wage of $24.14 last year — 86 cents, or 3.44 percent, less than men. That compares with a $1.44 difference, or 5.97 percent, in 2007.

Women made a big gain in administrative jobs, including agency directors and human resources, information technology and training supervisors. In that group, the pay gap shrank to 7 cents last year from $2.25 in 2007, the state report showed. There are about twice as many men and women in top jobs in state government.

Women also gained in professional jobs, such as engineer, teacher, software specialist and social worker, where women account for more than half the workforce. The salary gap last year was $2.44, a 19 percent drop from 2007.