OHIO Gender pay gap is nearly $10/hour

Associated Press

DAYTON

A newspaper investigation has found the average pay gap between men and women in the offices of four of Ohio’s five elected statewide officials has grown to as much as almost $10 an hour, as it’s shrunk to under a dollar across the rest of state government.

Women working in Republican Gov. John Kasich’s office earn $9.81-an-hour less, on average, than men, the Dayton Daily News analysis published Sunday showed.

That’s the highest gender pay gap among statewide officeholders, according to the newspaper’s study of Ohio Department of Administrative Services data.

The gender gap compares to $3.99-an-hour under former Gov. Ted Strickland.

The report comes as national debate over pay differences between men and women is in the spotlight after the U.S. Senate failed to pass a bill last week seeking to narrow the pay gap.

Republican lawmakers said the measure could hinder employers from granting raises, or permitting flexible hours in exchange for lower pay, for fear of costly lawsuits. For Democrats, the bill was the latest stressing income-fairness they are pushing this campaign season.

The governor’s office says the gap reported by the newspaper doesn’t take into account office staff and policy advisers from other state agencies that Kasich relies on. Counting those employees, the gap was $5.04-an-hour on average last year. Under those same parameters, the newspaper found, the gap under Strickland was $1.28-an-hour in 2010.