Working woman’s blues – The Last Best Place to Work

Two economists have offices side by side. A woman is the senior economist. The other, a man, is the junior economist.

Who would you ask for help?

More times than not, Barb Wagner, a senior economist with the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, has watched men stop at her office door before crossing the hall to pose questions to her male co-worker, even though she is the senior employee and has worked longer on the job.

“It happens on the job every single day, so of course you’re aware of it,” she said, seated in her office last week where she pored over spreadsheets and numbers. “The men tend to be of a certain age or a certain demographic that’s used to working with men. It’s definitely a generational thing, I think.”

By MARTIN J. KIDSTON – Independent Record

Full Story: http://helenair.com/articles/2008/09/21/top/top/50lo_080921_women.txt

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The Last Best Place to Work

For the past several months, Barb Wagner, a senior economist with the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, has been examining the gender pay gap in Montana. For women, the results of the study are worrisome: The median wage for a Montana woman is the least of any state in the nation and about $12,000 less than the median for their male counterpart. That’s not to say the numbers for men are good – they’re not impressive either.

Full Story: http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/the_last_best_place_to_work/5673/

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Women working at a disadvantage

By Independent Record – 09/23/08

Nobody would deny that women have come a long way since the days when wives were their husbands’ property, female voting was out of the question, and it was generally agreed that a woman’s mind was too weak to participate in the masculine affairs of the world.

Indeed, in a year that very nearly saw a highly capable female presidential candidate and now has a woman as a vice presidential pick, it is hard to argue that true equality isn’t a realistic goal. Until, that is, you look at the numbers. Especially in Montana.

According to a new U.S. Census Bureau report, Montana women who work full time fell to last place among the states in 2007 in terms of their median annual earnings. They earned $26,598, compared to the median annual earnings of $38,230 for their male counterparts.

Full Opinion: http://helenair.com/articles/2008/09/23/opinions/top/irview_080923.txt