As Utah sits as the worst state in the nation for the gender pay gap, a new study suggests Brigham Young University has the worst gender pay gap for graduates.
Business Insider conducted the study. They found female graduates made 57.3% less than male graduates. However, there are lot of things that factor into such a wide separation.
'Women usually choose different professions, jobs that provide more flexiblity,' Ulga Stodarrd said. Stoddard is a economics professor at BYU. She said males typically dominate the STEM fields, or science, technology, engineering, and math fields. 'Those fields tend to employee disproportionately with men, especially at higher levels of management,' Stoddard said.
BYU student Sasha Sloan has been aware of gender pay gaps since she was young, but it didn't stop her. 'I had parents and siblings that prepared me to believe I could do anything, I could be anything i wanted to be,' Sloan said.
Sloan's mother founded the company Kid-to-Kid, a world wide franchise. Sloan's sister also has her foot int he C-E-O world, as founder of Uptown Cheapskates. 'I think we would live in a very different world if women asked, 'Are men and women paid the same in this company?'' Sloan said.
Sloan used the examples in her life to help shape her platform as a contestant for Miss Utah. Girls Empowered focuses on empowering confidence through leadership, in young girls. 'As a woman, if you're in the workforce you can advocate it there. But in the home, you can start by teaching your daughters confidence.'