(Iowa News Service) – A new report shows while the gender pay gap is closing in Iowa, there is still a wide margin between what men and women are paid for doing the same jobs. The most recent research from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that women working in Iowa earned just over $900 a week, compared to men who earned more than $1,100 for doing the same work. Report co-author Mary Gatta, director of research and public policy at the National Association of Colleges and Employers, said segregated work environments are the main reason for the disparity. “Some of that, as we see in our survey, is attributed to men and women working in different industries and different types of work,” said Gatta, “so we called it ‘occupational sex segregation.'”

The report shows that women in Iowa and nationwide are more likely to have student loans than men, and earning less money means it’s harder to repay them. While the report indicates Iowa women are largely satisfied with their career choices, Gatta said less pay for the same work has long-term implications. “The pay gap continues as women continue in their careers, with less money they are paying into Social Security, it’s less money they are putting into their retirement,” said Gatta. “So, it has immediate impacts around economic security, but also economic security as we age”

The report shows that while almost three-quarters of men work for private-sector companies, just over half of women do. Thirty percent of women work for nonprofits, where compensation is typically lower than in the private sector.

Gatta said more women are now focused on finding non-traditional jobs, which could eventually help close the gap.