FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — On Tuesday, March 15, the Arkansas Women’s Commission held a public meeting inside the David and Barbara Pryor Center in Fayetteville.
During the meeting, several people discussed women’s labor participation rates, the pay gap between genders and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Arkansas women in the workforce.
“A lot of interest around early childhood education, a lot of interest around childcare and a lot of interest around what it means to be impacted by Covid and where women were in the workforce either having to give up a job or to take care of other family members and the impact that had,” said Arkansas Women’s Commission Chair Allison Williams.
Arkansas Prosecutor, Jen Standerfer says she had to take off because she needed someone to take care of her children.
“It’s been really hard for us moms who work and are doing well in our careers to keep working when schools are closing and hospitals were shutting their doors,” said Standerfer.
Given the pay gap between her and her husband, who is a lawyer, Standerfer decided it was best for her to take off work.
“Even though we have similar backgrounds similar clear similar fields he’s always made more money than I have,” Standerfer. “It’s a no-brainer that equal pay for equal work makes sense it makes sense in the economy it makes sense when you run a business it makes sense when you want good consumers.”
The meeting was full of diverse people from different ethnicities and genders sharing their experiences on how this affected them.
“With Northwest Arkansas being as diverse as it is, it’s important to hear from a lot of different voices,” Williams said.
The commission will take their findings and compile data to present to Governor Hutchinson at the end of the year. The next public meeting will take place in little rock in mid-April.