Gender Inequality in the Workplace in Utah

Gender Inequality in the Workplace in Utah

Let's start with a few definitions of gender inequality. First, we can consider it as a “legal, social and cultural situation in which sex and/or gender determine different rights and dignity for women and men."1 Another way to say this is that gender inequality is a “social process by which people are treated differently and disadvantageously, under similar circumstances, on the basis of gender."2 Gender equality, therefore, would mean that people’s “rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female."3

We can see gender inequality in the ways that women may experience different opportunities than male peers do in terms of expected social roles and access to employment. While other factors such as reproductive health and education remain important,4 employment and the workplace are critical vectors in gender inequality. Employment impacts whether women can make enough money to support themselves, and often their families. The workplace impacts whether women can work safely and with dignity for a decent wage at reasonable hours. 

Gender inequality results from power relations such as ideology, which then influences social structures, economy, and law.5 In other words, a commonly-held belief system that holds men and women are different can then become codified into the rules of a specific place or time. Women of additionally marginalized identities, including women of color and queer women, face additional challenges: in the US, including barriers to promotion and experiencing microaggressions in the workplace.6

This Topic in Utah

Utah has a reputation for gender inequality, both historically and into the present day. A 2023 study, ranked Utah the lowest of all 50 states in terms of women’s rights,7 and the workplace environment was one of the three main factors this study considered.8 Other studies have found similar troubling indications, including findings that women in Utah overall make nearly 30% less than men9 and women’s employment in Utah is fourth-lowest in the US.10

Sometimes, different stakeholders will say that this is due to choices that women workers make. The Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWFS) has stated that women’s choices to earn different degrees than men constitute a key determinant in Utah women’s employment issues, and so is choosing to raise families that would require balancing work commitments.11

However, other research points to “complex realities,” including how:12

  • Utah women are more likely to earn less despite having equal or higher education levels 
  • Utah women are more likely to live at the poverty level
  • Utah women are more likely to experience domestic/intimate partner violence
  • Many Utah women also face disparities due to their ethnic and racial identities

This difference between the Utah DWFS and other research reflects a common failing in attempts to address gender inequality: when programs or policies try to “fix” women themselves, instead of addressing the systems that disadvantage them.13 In other words, there is much more going on than Utah women just picking the wrong degrees or choosing to leave the labor market to care for their families. 

One contributing reason to gender inequality in the workplace is societal, since it is still uncommon for heterosexual partners to split family duties and care work equally. Utah women are more likely to take unpaid leave, career breaks, or career departures to care for children than Utah men, which affects their ability to return to work later.14 COVID-19 has further widened these gaps.15 Even when we factor in women’s ages, education levels, and choice of jobs, there is still a gap between what they earn and what men earn.16

Recent research has suggested specific ways to address gender inequality in the workplace in Utah. Suggestions include: 

  • Helping more women shift out of minimum-wage jobs
  • Supporting women employees through flexible and family-friendly policies 
  • Raising the state minimum wage by $2.00/hr17