Utah is the fastest growing state both population-wise and economically. Not only are families thriving and growing in Utah, but businesses and workers are pouring in from other states.
Given these facts, it is not surprising that WalletHub ranks Utah as the best state to start a business in. U.S. News and CNBC also rate Utah as having a great environment for business.
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But then why does Oxfam rank Utah as one of the worst states to work in? And why does WalletHub rank Utah as the worst state for women’s equality?
The Oxfam ranking is the easiest to dismiss. Oxfam didn’t talk to a single worker in Utah to see if they liked their job or thought it was fair. All Oxfam did was look at each state’s minimum wage, workplace regulations, and right-to-work laws, and then spit out a ranking.
Since Utah has one of the nation’s lowest minimum wages, doesn’t require sexual harassment training for management or employees, and doesn’t force workers to join a union if a majority of workers vote for one, Oxfam said it was a bad place to work. Never mind that thousands of people coming in from other states for jobs in Utah seem to disagree.
Utah’s ranking on women’s equality is harder to dismiss, but there is a reasonable explanation, one that actually explains why Utah has become such an economic powerhouse.
Utah scores badly on women’s equality scales because there is such a large gap between men’s and women’s earnings. That’s it. That’s the whole reason.
There is no evidence that Utah businesses discriminate against women, it’s just that women, on average, make less than men.
But isn’t the very fact that women make less than men proof of discrimination against women?
Not according to Nobel Prize-winning economist Claudia Goldin. Goldin’s research has shown that early in their careers, college-educated men and women earn the same amount of money. It is only after women drop out of the workforce to have children that the pay gap begins to show up. Goldin also blames the gap on “greedy jobs” that require long in-person hours with little flexibility. It is usually men who take those jobs since women want flexibility to care for their children.
Since Utah has the nation’s highest marriage and birth rates, it is not surprising that the women in Utah also have the lowest pay when compared to men.
But Utah’s high marriage and birth rates are an economic bonus, not a liability. According to WalletHub, the whole reason Utah has such a strong economy is because of its “large working-age population” and high share of workers with a college degree. It is all those mothers taking time away from their careers to have and raise children that is giving Utah its economic advantage!
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Should we as a nation celebrate mothers more for the sacrifices they make to ensure our economy is strong? Absolutely. Maybe there are even some things we can do to make the workplace less greedy and more flexible for both mothers and fathers. That would help even the pay discrepancies out.
But we should definitely do all we can to help young men and women get and stay married and raise children, because that is the real engine of economic growth.
