Milborn letter: Gender pay gap

Another legislative session has ended and Idaho’s working women are once again left in the committee desk drawer. According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor, Idaho women who are employed full time had median weekly earnings of $654, which is 81.1 percent of the $806 median weekly earnings for their male counterparts. An attempt was made early in the session by Rep. Melissa Wintrow to address this unacceptable gender pay gap with House Bill 71, amending current legislation to prevent employers from asking job applicants about salary history. The legislation did not see the light of day as it was left to die in the Ways and Means committee. It is past time for our Legislature to close the gap and stand up for Idaho’s working women.

This story was originally published April 7, 2017 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Milborn letter: Gender pay gap."