ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, November 21, 1996 TAG: 9611210044
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
Virginia women rank high in a national comparison of women's earnings, but still receive only 61.9 cents for each dollar earned by men in the state, a new report shows.
The report, released Wednesday by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, studied employment and earnings, economic autonomy, political participation, reproductive rights and health issues.
``This report is the first contemporary look at the real picture for Virginia women,'' said Gail Johnson of the Virginia Women's Network, who urged lawmakers to consider the findings in making public policy.
The report shows that Virginia women rank 12th nationally in employment and earnings. But Yana van der Meulen Rodgers of the College of William and Mary said the figures are somewhat skewed by the high wages women earn in Northern Virginia counties near the nation's capitol.
In contrast, neighboring West Virginia ranked last nationally among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., while North Carolina ranked 33rd.
``The Washington D.C. effect does go a long way for raising the average in Virginia. Some areas of Virginia more closely resemble areas of West Virginia and North Carolina than they do D.C. This is a cause for concern,'' Rodgers said.
Virginia's relatively high employment rate for women - estimated at 64 percent, compared to the national average of 58.8 percent - means there are more working mothers with a need for family-friendly workplace policies, said Lynne Revo-Cohen of Reston, a consultant on workplace issues.
She said working women still are most likely to hold low-wage, low-prestige jobs and earn less than men in comparable positions.
``We have miles to go before we can safely say women are fairly paid compared to men,'' Revo-Cohen said.
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