It may be hard to find a better place for women than Howard County, but a new study of their economic status shows wide earning gaps remain between the genders.
Sponsored by the county's Commission for Women, the study, which follows a broader examination of women's status done five years ago, concludes that "women in Howard County enjoy an almost unmatched status in the United States, with a high percentage of women-owned firms ... good wages, low poverty levels and many professionals. But amid these rankings are the stark gender wage gap and the over-representation of women in poverty."
Despite their high educational levels and often good jobs, "women in Howard County earn significantly less than men," and "more are in lower paying occupations," the report said. With increasing ethnic diversity and a growing population of elderly residents, the proportions of women in need are growing slightly, the report said.
The study was narrowly focused on "where are women today in Howard County. Women are doing great, but there's a disparity between women doing well and women in need," said Susan Rosenbaum, director of the county's Department of Citizen Services and executive secretary to the Commission on Women.
The results show the need to "focus attention on programs for women in the county - single women and widows," while also encouraging more young women to go into lucrative fields involving science and math, said commission Chairwoman Vicki Leonard, a program manager for Hewlett Packard.
From the study, "We have more information about where that wage gap is, and a better idea about what is creating it and how to reduce that wage gap," said Dawn Fisk Thomsen, the commission's chairwoman in 2002 and now chairwoman of the study committee.
In the 21-page study, done by consultants Taj C. Carson and Lynne Nemeth, one chart shows that in measuring men's and women's incomes by educational level, there is approximately a $36,000-a-year income gap between the genders among people with the most education - graduate or professional degrees.
Median annual pay for all educational levels shows men earn $67,193, compared with $39,296 for women, according to the 2005 U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
None of this is surprising, said Del. Elizabeth Bobo, a former county executive who helped create the commission more than 20 years ago and who applauded the first study in 2002.
But Bobo, a Democrat, feels it is worth repeating now.
"Perhaps there will be a little more awareness than five years ago," she said, noting that Howard's relative prosperity also means higher living costs, which makes things tougher for low-income people.
"My deepest concern is for low-income women and the single moms," she said. "If any jurisdiction in the country should be able to address this, it should be Howard County."
Bobo is to offer concluding remarks at a panel discussion about the report at 7 p.m. July 24 at Hawthorn Center, 6175 Sunny Spring, Columbia.
Republican Del. Gail H. Bates, did not disagree with the study's results, but she said there may be other ways to interpret them.
Individual choices made by women - either to stay home with children or to pursue careers in fields that pay less - often help create the economic gap.
As to women in poverty, "there's a whole range of reasons for that," Bates said. Women sometimes "have children at a very young age and don't pursue their education, which puts them at a disadvantage."
But commission member Ruth Zlotowitz said there could be another explanation for low pay in predominantly female professions.
"In my mind, that raises the question of whether they're paid less because those fields are female-dominated," Zlotowitz said.
About 33 percent of Howard County businesses were owned by women in 2002, but in a comparison of earnings by gender, the largest single group of men [29 percent] were in the $100,000- or-higher income category, according to 2004 census figures, while the largest single group of women [22.2 percent] earned between $35,000 and $50,000.
Another measure of economic well-being is marriage, and figures show that 58 percent of county women are married, compared with 64 percent of men. Widows make up 5.7 percent of all women, while just 1.2 percent of men are widowers.
Women make up 50.7 percent of the population, but 60 percent of the people living in poverty, according to federal standards.