Office of Administration to make recommendations based on pay equity best practices guidelines developed by the Women’s Foundation and University of Missouri
JEFFERSON CITY – Following the release of pay equity best practices guidelines by the Women’s Foundation and the University of Missouri Institute of Public Policy, Gov. Jay Nixon today directed the Office of Administration to lead an interagency effort to review the final guidelines and make recommendations for promoting pay equity in the state workforce.
“Equal work deserves equal pay, and these guidelines will serve as a valuable resource for current and future policymakers as we work to eliminate pay disparities and ensure all Missourians are compensated fairly,” Gov. Nixon said. “Women make up over half of state employees and an increasing percentage of women are now the primary breadwinners in their families. That’s why pay equity is essential to the overall strength, vitality and competitiveness of our economy. I thank the Women’s Foundation and the University of Missouri for developing these best practices and bringing needed attention to this important issue.”
Gov. Nixon directed Nancy Johnston, Director of Personnel at the Office of Administration to lead the effort, along with human resources managers and agency directors, to review the final best practices guidelines and make recommendations for how to implement them within state agencies.
According to the report released yesterday by the Women’s Foundation and the Harry Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri, women who worked full-time and year-round earned only 77 percent as much as men in 2013. While various factors can contribute to disparities in income, studies which control for different life choices still find that, all things being equal, women are still paid less than men for the same work.
