Celebrate International Women’s Day By Finding Out How Big the Gender Pay Gap is in Alabama

Today is International Women's Day, a time to celebrate the accomplishments of women, who are smart, strong, and for some reason, are paid less than men in the workplace. How big is the gender pay gap in Alabama? The results may surprise you.

According to the latest U.S. Census data compiled by the American Association of University Women, Alabama has one of the biggest gender pay gaps in the United States. The median income for men in Alabama was $44,245, while the median income for women was $32,136--an earnings ratio of 76%, which ranks Alabama 46th out of all states and the District of Columbia. Take a look at the data compiled from each state.

Opponents of pay equality say that the wage gap is a result of choices made by women--that we don't go to college or choose careers that require advanced skills; however, this isn't true. The AAUW did extensive (even exhaustive) research, and they found that after analyzing pay comparisons in almost every field and at every level of education, about 1/3 of the pay gap can't be "explained away:"

After accounting for college major, occupation, economic sector, hours worked, months unemployed since graduation, GPA, type of undergraduate institution, institution selectivity, age, geographical region, and marital status, [their report] found that a 7 percent difference in the earnings of male and female college graduates one year after graduation was still unexplained.

To me, that's shocking--and depressing. I fully believe that women deserve equal pay. If a woman has the same amount of education and experience as her male colleagues, then she deserves to be paid the same. It's 2016, people.

For a more in-depth look at the wage gap in Alabama, click HERE.