UWLP publishes new statewide data on Utah women in the workplace

The Utah State University Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) has released its first of six white papers reporting the results of a statewide study conducted in the fall of 2024. The study supports efforts of UWLP’s “A Bolder Way Forward,” a statewide movement focused on ensuring that more Utah girls, women and their families thrive.

The first white paper shares the findings from four topic areas: organizational strategies and workplace culture, childcare/pre-K programs, gender pay gap and sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination. The 82-item survey, taken from Oct. 1 to Nov. 20, included two samples (representative and convenience), with 4,721 Utah participants, including 1,123 men.

“For those who want to more deeply understand the perceptions and attitudes around the challenges Utah women and girls face, this 40-page report contains a significant amount of critical data that can help,” said lead researcher and author Susan Madsen, UWLP director and Karen Haight Huntsman Endowed Professor of Leadership in the USU Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. “We invite the public to view the report in its entirety. This is our second year of data collection, so the report addresses how data may have changed since the inaugural 2023 survey.”

Findings of the four topic areas of the study include:

Organization Strategies & Workplace Culture. Four survey items assessed Utahns’ perceptions of the organizational strategies and workplace cultures of their companies. For example, when respondents were asked if they agreed that their organization offered family-friendly policies to meet their needs, the results hovered around “somewhat agree” (5.10 on a scale of 1 to 7).

Even though 67.6 percent of Utahns work for employers with at least some family-friendly policies, 32.5 percent were unsure or disagreed. An open-ended question asked participants’ concerns for women, and one woman stated, “Women are given the same amount of leave/sick time for work; however, from my experience, they need to use it more to care for their families and therefore are left without any for themselves.”

Respondents most likely to agree with the statement were full-time, married employees with children. They also had higher household incomes and more education.

“Although it is great that many Utah companies have family-friendly policies, so many of our residents, including those among our most vulnerable, don’t have the workplace policies they need to support their families,” Madsen said.

Childcare and Pre-Kindergarten Programs. Madsen said Utah families face significant challenges navigating the childcare landscape, with issues related to accessibility, affordability, and quality complicating the personal, critical decisions families face.

When respondents were asked if they believe government has a role in addressing childcare, the findings hovered between “somewhat agree” and “agree” (5.54). Utahns agreed — with 31.9 percent strongly agreeing and 45.8 percent agreeing or somewhat agreeing. Only 8.4 percent of study participants disagreed with the statement at any level. One participant stated, “Access to affordable childcare is a constant struggle for working mothers.”

Those most likely to agree with the statement were women, 54 or younger, parents with multiple children, more highly educated, and full-time employees and students. In addition, study respondents who selected Pacific Islander, white, and Asian had the strongest agreement, along with those who selected atheist, agnostic, Judaism and spiritual but not religious as their religious affiliation.

Gender Pay Gap. This topic assessed Utahns’ perceptions of the gender pay gap in Utah, which is that women earn approximately 30 percent less than men.

Respondents believe that the gender pay gap exists in Utah, with a statistical mean of 6.24 (on an agreement scale of 1 to 7) for the convenience sample and 5.69 for the combined samples. Most Utahns agreed, with 41.3 percent strongly agreeing and 35.9 percent agreeing or somewhat agreeing. Only 7.2 percent of participants disagreed at any level.

When participants were asked if Utah women make less money than their male counterparts even with the same/similar experience, education, and position, most Utahns agreed. In fact, 37.3 percent strongly agreed, another 39.9 percent either agreed or somewhat agreed, while only 7.6 percent disagreed at any level.

“The results make it clear that most Utahns understand the gap is not a myth and that it is not all about women’s own choices,” Madsen said.

Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Discrimination. This topic assessed Utahn’s perceptions of sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination in Utah.

When survey respondents were asked if they trusted that organizations in Utah would appropriately handle a sexual harassment report, the findings hovered slightly below “neither agree nor disagree” (mean of 3.96). Many Utahns (57 percent) selected a level of disagreement or ambivalence, while 20 percent chose “somewhat agree” and 23 percent agreed or strongly agreed.

“The findings tell us that sexual harassment and other types of gender-based discrimination against women are serious concerns of Utahns,” Madsen said.

“Although the six white papers are designed for those who want to explore the data deeply, the reports can be helpful for anyone who wants to help their workplaces and communities find ways to ensure that more girls, women and families in Utah thrive,” Madsen concluded.

The full white paper is available online at https://www.usu.edu/uwlp/files/wp/no-11.pdf.