This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I studied the pay gap nationally and did a comparison with Utah. Nationally at the time, (2009) it was 77 cents for women and about 69 cents for women for every $1 men earned in Utah. From that data, and from the rest of my study about gender and the patriarchy in Utah, I decided that the more male dominance in the culture, the more difference in the wage gap. Male dominance in Utah is linked with the LDS faith and the priesthood.
It seemed so in line to see the pay gap increase in the White house. Same conclusion: When there is extreme male dominance, it exacerbates an already difficult problem for women who often also carry the financial burden for the family. Ivanka and Jared were excluded from the study, but women have dropped in their ability to have equal pay in the White House. I truly wonder if Ivanka has any power when our president controls so many of the decisions and activities and although Ivanka claims to want to give power to women, cannot correct that power balance in her own life.
Marilyn A. Miller, Ph.D.
Millcreek