2017 Issue

42 and architecture and engineering occupations (10.4%). 19 The median earnings for all workers in these three male-dominated occupational areas are, respectively, as follows: $35,582, $41,391, and $70,885, all above the median income for all professions in the state. 20 Not only do Utah women make up high percentages of workers in certain occupations, but a large number of all Utah working women are segregated in a few specific (and lower-paying) jobs. According to a recent report, more than 40% of Utah women work in just two occupational groups: office and administrative support, where 24.0% percent of employed Utah women work and service occupations, where 18.8% of them work. 21 Both of these groups of jobs have median wages below the state average. 22 Utah men, on the other hand, are more likely than Utah women to be concen- trated in higher-paying industries and job types. 23 Increasing Utah Women’s Employment Success Public entities, corporations, and individual women can make efforts to increase women’s success in the Utah labor force. Working women in the state face various challenges; for example, parents may have difficul- ty finding quality childcare, which is cost-prohibitive for many families in Utah (as it is in the rest of the nation). 24 This dilemma is amplified in Utah as we tend to have more children than the national average. 25 Interestingly, a recent study ranked Utah 48th in the country in its “Childcare Index,” which ordered states by the relative costs of infant care, the proportion of four-year olds in publicly funded Pre-K programs, and policies in place to promote quality Pre-K care. 26 Another barrier specific to low-income women’s employment success is the “cliff ef- fect,” wherein women who have been receiving public benefits risk losing this support as they become eligible for promotions or raises at work, and the loss of public benefits occurs faster than rising incomes replace their val- ue. 27 Various groups and policy makers are working to address these types of issues legislatively. 28 Utahans could also benefit from increased support for women en- trepreneurs. Women in Utah are slightly more likely than Utah men to be self-employed (7% vs. 5%). 29 Addi- tionally, 2012 Census estimates show 30.3% of firms in Utah are owned by women 30 (compared to 35.8% nation- ally), 31 and sales by women-owned businesses in Utah make up only a very small share of total sales by all firms. 32 (Please refer to a previous Utah Women & Leadership Project research and policy brief, The Status of Women and Entrepreneurship in Utah, for an in-depth look at women-owned busi- nesses in the state.) Corporations in the state can also do much to improve employment suc- cess for women who choose to work. For example, the Women’s Leader- ship Institute has invited companies statewide (both public and private) to participate in the ElevateHER Chal- lenge, which has among its stated goals to increase the percentage of women in senior leadership positions and on boards, retained women at all organizational levels, and closed gen- der pay gaps. 33 In addition, all organi- zations in the state would do well to reevaluate their systems and process- es regarding employee recruitment, hiring, development, and promotion to ensure they have diverse and inclusive work environments that offer flexibility and maximum potential for employee success. Finally, individual Utah women, schools, universities, and other stake- holders can work to close the educa- tion gap between genders in the state. Utah women are less likely than U.S. women to work in jobs that require higher education. As more women in Utah earn at least bachelor’s degrees, specifically in high paying, growth industries, they will have more choices and opportunities for successful em- ployment. 34 Additionally, some women may benefit from exploring training and certification in fields that are tra- ditionally male dominated yet lead to careers that are relatively high paying and flexible. Conclusion Women in Utah make up a significant proportion of the overall labor force in the state, but many are employed in low-paying jobs with limited room for advancement. Finding ways to im- prove various factors for Utah women in the labor force will not only better their lives, but also strengthen the positive impact of women in communi- ties and the state as a whole. 1 Langston, L. P. (2010). The facts about women in Utah. Department of Work- force Services. Retrieved from http:// www.jobs.utah.gov/wi/pubs/womenca- reers/thefacts.html 2 United States Census Bureau. (2015a). Occupation by sex for the civilian em- ployed population 16 years and over. S2401. U.S. and Utah. 3 United States Census Bureau. (2015b). Sex by full-time work status in the past 12 months for the population 16 to 64 years. K202302. U.S. and Utah. 4 United States Census Bureau. (2015b). 5 United States Census Bureau. (2015c). Se- lected population profile in the United States. S0201. U.S. and Utah. 6 United States Census Bureau. (2015b). 7 Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). (2013 data). Status of women in the states: Employment and earnings. Table B2.6. Retrieved from http://statu- sofwomendata.org/explore-the-data/ employment-and-earnings/employ- ment-and-earnings/#PartTimeWork%20 8 United States Census Bureau. (2015d). Sex by age by employment status for the population 16 years and over. B23001. U.S. and Utah. 9 United States Census Bureau. (2015e). Marital status by sex by labor force par- ticipation. B12006. U.S. and Utah. 10 IWPR. (2015a). The Status of women in Utah, 2015: Highlights. IWPR #R455. Retrieved from Utah State Fact Sheet