Louisiana ranked third for pay gap in women. Here's what you need to know

It is March and you know what that means? It is women's history month. March celebrates the contributions of women in history, culture and society.

Since 1987, the United States has observed women's history month and has reflected on the contributions of women throughout our nation's history.

To understand the past, you have to recognize the present and although the United States remembers the women who built this nation there is still gender discrimination.

In 2017, Pew Research Center conducted a survey that reported that four-in-ten working women face discrimination in the workplace in the United States for their gender. The largest gap was presented in the area of income, one-in-four women say they have earned less than a man.

In Dec. 2022, Insights by Lensa released a study that highlighted the states in which proved to be the most equal pay states for women. The top three states were Vermont, Maryland and California, and the states with the biggest gender pay gaps were Wyoming, Utah and Louisiana.

Louisiana ranked third in the biggest pay gap, with 28.72%. The median earnings for a female in Louisiana is $37,050 which is $14,926 less than males.

Read: Louisiana among the states with largest drop in unemployment during 2022

Wyoming ranked number one for biggest pay gap with men earning a median salary of $59,196 and women earning $37,520. Utah ranked second with a $17,303 (30.23%) pay gap.

Lensa used information from the United States Census Bureau to compare the gender pay gap in the United States. Through data they were able to calculate the percent difference between each sex's median earnings, as well as present the real terms in dollars.

Lensa said, "not all states have made equal progress in reducing the pay gap between men and women as there is a difference of 26.64% between the largest statewide gender pay gap and the smallest."

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Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.