Dr. Ann Mari May, professor of economics at the UNL College of Business Administration, was recently
quoted in an article in the Omaha World-Herald that looks at the issue of pay discrepancies between women and men in the local work force.
Although many variables can be examined, Dr. May noted that a huge portion of the wage gap cannot be explained away simply by looking at conditions such as women opting for more flexible jobs or majoring in fields that do not pay as much as those that men choose.
"Once you hold all those things constant, you still find a significant part of the wage gap that remains 'unexplained,'" she said. "The remainder that's left unexplained is simply attributed to discrimination."
May points out that women and men often start out jobs at an equal income level but within a year of being employed a gap begins to occur in their wages.
The issue of the gender gap in salaries has been in the news recently with regard to the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would require employers to be more accountable for pay discrepancies between female and male employees.
Dr. May has been active for many years in research in the area of feminist economics and is on the board of the International Association of Feminist Economics.
Published: April 25, 2012