Utah women face one of the largest gender wage gaps in the nation
Sep 4, 2025, 8:04 PM
Utah has one of the largest gender wage gaps in the nation, according to research. (Canva)
(Canva)
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah has one of the largest gender wage gaps in the nation, according to recent research.
The Utah Women and Leadership project leader, Dr. Susan Madsen, said the wage gap follows women forever, and lots of older women actually end up in poverty.
Women in Utah make up about 45% of the labor force. And it’s estimated to take another 41 to 63 years for women to reach pay equity in the U.S.
“Those fields that are traditionally male-dominated fields, more men continue to go into those fields and those (careers) are paid more,” she said. “And those that are in more woman-dominated field are paid less.”
“We have significantly less women in those fields because we are still more traditional in rising our daughters and telling girls and women that its better to go into these feminine fields,” Madsen said.
What can we do to over come gender wage gaps?
According to The Utah Women and Leadership Project’s research, closing the gap will require more than just a change of policies, there needs to be cultural changes.
Work places need stronger policies that make work family-friendly, like infrastructures that include childcare, pay transparency and protections that help woman balance careers and being a caregiver.
But certain culture patterns need to change in order to make any sort of lasting impact.
“But to do so negates the impact of messaging about the socially and culturally acceptable roles of women and men,” Anderson said. “Long before a woman makes her first dollar, her occupational ‘choice’ is influenced by years of socialization, education, mentoring and messaging about her competency and responsibility, as well as the expectations of others.”
Madsen believes to fully achieve gender equality in Utah the gender pay gap and the factors that influence it have to be addressed.
“We need to overcome stereotypes about what constitutes ‘men’s’ and ‘women’s’ work, both in and out of the home, to begin achieving gender wage parity,” she said.
Related: The gender wage gap is bigger than you think
