Our state leads the nation in business opportunity, economic growth, employment rates and fiscal stability. Yet, despite all of our accomplishments, Utah has unfortunately and consistently been named the worst state for gender pay equality.

There is a multitude of factors that contribute to the inequitable pay of our hard-working women, some of which are contributed by business processes and workplace biases. Closing the gap will require the recognition of these biases and implementation of multifaceted solutions in order to ensure the work Utah women perform is valued fairly.

Presently, Utah doesn’t have the skilled workforce necessary to fill all the current and new jobs coming to our state. Elevating women by closing the gender wage gap will strengthen our workforce by enhancing our ability to find and retain the talent we need to address Utah’s tight labor market and further contribute to the growth of our state’s economy.

We urge all businesses to review the contents of this document, identify what specific actions they can take to close the gender wage gap and adopt policies to create a more fair and equitable pay environment. When everyone has the same incentives and opportunities, we all benefit from increased diversity, greater innovation and more financial stability for families which ultimately leads to a stronger economy.