Governor’s Equal Pay Summit to Encourage Women in Leadership, Promote Montana Pay Equity Initiatives

Governor Steve Bullock’s Equal Pay Summit kicks off in Bozeman at the end of March at Montana State University. The summit is a part of Governor Bullock’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Task Force which was established in June of 2013.

Montana’s Commissioner of Labor and Industry Pam Bucy said the Task Force aims to address pay inequity in the state:

"It's really about educating women about shattering the glass ceiling," Bucy said. "We're talking a lot about stem jobs, how to be a participant on a board, things like that. We're really trying to educate women and men about what is happening to women in the wage gap in Montana and how we might get through that."

In Montana, women earn only 67 percent of what men earn for the same job, which is lower than the national average of 77 percent. The state ranks 40th in the nation for pay equity.

"We've certainly been finding, as was not a surprise, that women make less than men, and more so in Montana than other places," Bucy said. "The numbers improved a few percentage points this last quarter. I think we're close to 62 to 65 percent on the dollar. It really is about educating all of the working community, men and women, but women about what they can do to change this."

National pay equity advocate Lilly Ledbetter will kick off the summit at 6:30 p.m. on March 31, with keynote speakers Governor Bullock and First Lady Lisa Bullock following on April 1.

Participation at the Equal Pay Summit is free and open to the public.

To see a complete listing of summit speakers and summit agenda, click here.

To register for the summit or find information about the Governor’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Task Force, visit their website.