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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, November 20, 2002

Hawai'i women's pay ranking falls

Advertiser Staff

Hawai'i dropped from 16th among the 50 states in terms of women's employment and earnings two years ago to 27th this year, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research.

"There are still are still a lot of women in low-paying jobs, and there's also a wage gap between what men and women earn and we're not closing the gap here," said Jeanne Ohta, interim executive director of the Hawai'i State Commission on the Status of Women.

Ohta said Hawai'i's decline in wage and employment may be due to other states making efforts to raise wages through living wage laws. But that hasn't happened in Hawai'i because "getting organizations to raise wages in a time of economic downturn is very difficult," she said.

The state also declined in the percentage of nonelderly women with health insurance. In 2000, Hawai'i was the best in the nation in that category but dropped to 11th in the latest survey by the institute, a nonprofit policy research organization based in Washington, D.C.

"We have a lot more people working two part-time jobs who do not fall under the prepaid health care act, so they're not covered," said Ohta. "Also, I think other states have made efforts to increase their coverage."

Hawai'i came in dead last in terms of women's voter registration and 46th in women's voter turnout.

"I think women feel disconnected from the political process," Ohta said. "Their issues are not being addressed by policy makers." Those issues include pay, childcare, access to health services and job-training programs, she said.