LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Research indicates the gender wage gap still exists in 2024 — and a new study shows it's alive and well here in the Las Vegas Valley.
Chamber of Commerce used U.S. Census Bureau data to compile a list of 170 citieswith the largest pay gaps between men and women who work full-time. Las Vegas came in at 117, while North Las Vegas was ranked 139. Henderson was the highest Southern Nevada municipality ranked on the list, coming in at 21.
UNLV associate professor of psychology Dr. Rachael Robnett said many people find it shocking that there is still a gender wage gap, but there's data to back it up.
"There's certainly disbelief. I think there's a lot of people who are skeptical of the wage gap, and if they do see data, as there's frequent data available indicating there's a wage gap, they often try to come up with explanations that aren't exactly grounded in the data."
Dr. Robnett said the disparity in wages between men and women is often the largest in male-dominated industries.
"There are certain industries where there are prevalent gender stereotypes, so we would see that in, say the construction industries, high-profile businesses, fields related to science, technology, and math. So part of it is just the existence of stereotypes suggesting women are maybe not as qualified for those types of jobs," Dr. Robnett said.
She said stereotypical tropes dictating where women supposedly do and don't belong perpetuate the gender wage gap. She added, societal ideals about how women should act also contribute to the problem, especially when it comes to salary negotiations.
"Women and men face a different set of standards for negotiation. So men can come in, and they often feel motivated to negotiate. They feel competent negotiating, and they're usually not evaluated especially negatively if they draw those hard lines during negotiations. Whereas women first tend to express some reluctance about being a hard negotiator, but some of that reluctance is probably merited, in the sense that when they are really hard in their negotiations, they tend to be perceived negatively."
Marissa Hawkins said she saw that discrimination against women when she worked in corporate America.
"Let's just face it — they had a certain look or certain feel they wanted in that position. They knew exactly who they were going to hire. Even still, women were doing the same roles and being overlooked for those same positions," Hawkins said.
"I wouldn't be here today if I didn't have grit and if I didn't have stamina and the resilience to say, 'That's just a part of life and I can change that when they come into my territory.'"
In search of more agency and opportunity, Hawkins left corporate America and decided to become an entrepreneur. In the seven Massage Envy franchises she now owns across the Las Vegas Valley, she says she can control things she previously couldn't and is putting women at the forefront.
"We have a mission, and our motto is 'Leave them better than you found them.' And it's because of the experiences that we've had in previous jobs, we know who we want to be and who we don't want to be," Hawkins said.
Hawkins wants to be a part of progress in her community. However, when it comes to the national pay gap, countrywide progress has been piecemeal. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2022, women earned an average of 82% of what men earned. That's just 2% more than in 2002, when women earned 80% as much as men.
"The wage gap has been really, really slow to change over the past 10, 20, even 30 years. I think we could accomplish a lot through increasing societal awareness about the biases and stereotypes that women encounter, especially in male-dominated industries," Dr. Robnett said.
Dr. Robnett said because the biases against women in the workplace are often unconscious, progress has been slow and the gender wage gap may never be fully eradicated. However, she said just accepting that there is problem is a good start to fostering potential solutions.
"I think a lot can be accomplished just by knowing and acknowledging that you have subconscious biases, being aware that women do face these barriers and these challenges and then trying to be mindful, when, for instance, when entering into a negotiation with a woman."
Meanwhile, Hawkins is optimistic about the future, which in her eyes — is female.
"Now that I get to have a seat at the table, I get to decide 'Who do I want to bring into my life?' 'Who do I get to choose to be leaders?'" Hawkins said.
