By Nathalia Teixeira / Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.

In Ohio, women earn on average 79 cents for every dollar a man earns, according to 2019 U.S. Census Bureau data analyzed by the National Women's Law Center.

Nationally, in 2002, women working full and part-time earned 80% of what men earned. By 2022, that had risen to just 82%, according to the Pew Research Center.

"One of the biggest reasons we haven't seen it reverse is because a lot of the reasons it exists in the first place are structural," said Sheri Jones, past president of the National Association of Women's Business Owners-Columbus.

Women are generally responsible for childcare, eldercare and home activities, experts said. They also face discrimination at work, and due to these structural factors, they tend to work in lower-paid fields that reduce their earnings for their entire life.

"Historically - especially in American culture, but in most cultures - people have been taught that women have qualities that are weaker, that they're less successful, that they're less focused. All of that is entirely untrue," said Kelley Griesmer, president and CEO of the Women's Fund of Central Ohio. "And the biases are the same on the reverse. Men are expected to be very confident, very successful."

Women are often expected to be good mothers and care for their homes, even when working in a full or part-time job.

"Women are still the ones managing the mental load at home, putting all that cognitive effort into managing the household," said Susan Fisk, associate professor of sociology at Kent State University. "They're still doing more housework."

Some women leave their jobs to focus on home and family duties, Jones said.

"Women, traditionally, it's so stressful to try to manage all these things that in a lot of cases they just give up and it's not worth it," Jones said. "Until we're willing to look at the structure and how we ask women to work, they may continue to choose to leave the workforce instead of work."

Fisk explained two sources of the gender wage gap. One is horizontal gender segregation, in which women are more likely to work in jobs that pay less, such as daycare. The second contributor is vertical gender segregation, in which the further you climb up an organization's ladder, the fewer women you see.

"People are just sort of less comfortable when that behavior [leadership] comes from women," Fisk said.

Joining the professional environment can be overwhelming for women as they face many challenges other than wages, such as discrimination, stereotypes and social stigmas.

"Women face negative stereotypes about their competence," Fisk said. "This can make it harder for women to succeed in these fields and cause them to experience bias in hiring, promotion and their day-to-day work."

Griesmer also mentioned that there are reports that show if you have two resumes that look the same with the same qualifications, but you put a woman's name at the top of the resume instead of a man's, research shows that the people who blindly review those resumes tend to think the man is more qualified than the woman.

Women come to the workforce more highly educated, Jones said. By not paying women the same as men, we're losing out on more diverse and interesting ideas and more innovation, she said.

"The patriarchal narrative continues because very often - for white men, all men but especially white men - it's very hard for them to admit that although they are decent people, they are still not treating women fairly," Griesmer said. "They want to believe that they've already mastered that."

The gender pay gap leads to the gender wealth gap. Griesmer and Jones pointed out that when a woman is underpaid in a previous job and a new job is offered to her, she may earn more, but a man who started out earning more may experience a bigger bump in pay.

"It just kind of haunts you the rest of your career," Griesmer said.

Women of color were among the groups that most suffered from the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas before the pandemic the Women's Fund of Central Ohio wealth gap showed that women of color own $0.02 for every dollar that a single man owns.

"The sad news is that the pandemic likely caused women to lose almost a generation of advances because so many of the programs that support women, the support structures for women, were removed or couldn't be given because of the way the world interacted during the pandemic," Griesmer said. "That's why a lot of people now refer to the pandemic as a she-cession, because women were so disproportionately impacted."

This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.


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Women in California and across the country earn an average of 82% of what men make in the first 10 years after graduating from college, according to a new study from the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Researchers found that a significant portion of this disparity is attributed to where people work - three-quarters of men are employed in the private sector, compared to only half of women.

Mary Gatta is the director of research and public policy at NACE.

"The top industries where men were employed were manufacturing, finance, insurance, real estate, the fire industries, architecture, and engineering," said Gatta. "Women are in education, health care, social assistance, and professional and technical services. So women dominate more in lower-paid industries."

Advocates say school districts should introduce boys and girls to all types of occupations, and in particular, encourage girls to take classes in science, technology, engineering, and math.

California has tried to shrink the pay gap through public policy. Companies in the Golden State are prohibited from inquiring about a candidate's previous salary range during the hiring process.

They are also required to disclose salary ranges in job postings or upon request.

Gatta said colleges should offer robust career counseling to prepare students as they enter the workforce.

"We also need to think about salary negotiation," said Gatta, "and helping remove any concerns that recent college grads might have about negotiating, helping prepare students for salary negotiation."

She added that establishing a higher salary from the get-go pays dividends for many years.

Conversely, the pay gap persists as women progress in their careers, so they contribute less to Social Security and receive lower payments in retirement.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.




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Texas lawmakers passed the Life of the Mother Act during the legislative session. It was billed as legislation to clarify when doctors in the state can legally perform an abortion.

Texas adopted one of the most restrictive abortion bans in 2021. The ban allows the procedure only if the life of the mother is in danger or there is a risk of impairment of a primary bodily function.

Houston-based OB/GYN Dr. Damla Karsan said, despite the "clarification," medical professionals are still hesitant to provide care in most cases.

"It's been frustrating, because I feel restricted in my ability to offer them the full scope of options for their care," said Karsan. "I know it's really had a chilling effect on all my colleagues, and myself as well."

Karsan was involved in two legal challenges to the abortion ban, including the case of Kate Cox.

The Houston mother of two received national attention after traveling to another state to have an abortion after it was determined her third child would not survive.

Backers of the new legislation say it ensures women who have medical emergencies can get an abortion.

It defines "life-threatening" as a condition that's capable of causing death or serious injury. A survey of OB/GYNs in the state shows 60% of those who responded fear legal repercussions.

Karsan said if women need abortion care, there are organizations available to help.

"I direct a lot of people to the National Network of Abortion Funds," said Karsan. "Their website can connect you if you want to donate, if you want to volunteer, but also if you're looking for care. As usual it's the poor, the disenfranchised that are going to suffer the most."

According to the survey, many doctors are leaving the state or going into early retirement because of the abortion ban.




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Fighting for a wide range of people with a skill for compromise, is how Rep. Melissa Hortman, D-Brooklyn Park, is being remembered for following her assassination Saturday.

A civic engagement group said she was a shining example of a woman in politics. Hortman's murder is seen by political observers as a stunning and tragic example of the increasingly violent tone surrounding public office in America. Hortman served as Minnesota House Speaker from 2019 until earlier this year, leading Democrats during power-sharing negotiations with Republicans in an evenly-divided chamber.

Michelle Witte, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Minnesota, said Hortman stayed true to the mission of an elected official.

"Obviously, (a) rise to power but also just being in the community working at all levels, at the local level to engage people in issues that are important to them," Witte recounted.

Witte noted Hortman's willingness to make tough decisions was on display this spring when finalizing a new budget, as she received pushback from her own party during the negotiations. Witte pointed out Minnesota still has gaps in electing women legislators, despite having more female politicians than over half the states in the U.S.

She added Hortman was among the most notable women in politics statewide, with others including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn.

In 2023, Hortman was credited for spearheading several major policies including paid medical leave, abortion protections, and a universal school meal program. While this year's power-sharing agreement with Republicans did have moments of friction, Witte said Hortman's arrangement with GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth was symbolic of women succeeding in the world of politics.

"The League of Women Voters, we actually made a card out of the great handshake between Melissa Hortman and Lisa Demuth when they reach their power-sharing agreement," Witte recalled. "I was so proud of that because that is what we really work for at the League, is seeing that working together."

Witte hopes voters pay more attention to those examples of bipartisanship and appreciate elected leaders who go above and beyond to serve the public. She acknowledged the attacks on Minnesota lawmakers may make people feel anxious about taking part in democracy, adding the country needs to promote voter safety and prevent future candidates from being silenced.


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