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Equal Pay Day sheds light on wage gap

Posted at 8:24 PM, Apr 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-13 09:32:07-04

At Thrivent Financial, Pam Schott has worked her way up to a lead financial advisor position.

"The harder you work in our career, you're rewarded and compensated," Schott said. "I always feel that I'm on the same playing field as other financial representatives, men and women, because of that reason."

Working in fields like that, and others that are in demand in Northeast Wisconsin, can help women close the wage gap according to experts.

"Just because [you] may be interested in something that is a more traditional male job, doesn't mean [you] shouldn't be doing it," said Jim Golembeski, Executive Director of the Bay Area Workforce Development Board.

That's something the Women's Fund for the Fox Valley Region recognized, too.

"A lot of the jobs that pay higher wages are in fields that traditionally have been considered male-dominated professions, and so the women's fund has supported a number of programs in STEM education," said Executive Director Becky Boulanger.

Starting early can make a difference.

"It is more important than ever for women, especially young women, to be actively engaged in a career pathway plan," Golembeski said. 

For women, however, that plan must include education.

"Women need to have a Bachelor's degree to earn the same amount of money that a man would earn with a high school diploma," said Boulanger.

Wisconsin is one of a handful of states that does not have a specific equal pay law.