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Women from Colorado and other states who earned bachelor's degrees within the past seven years get paid an average of 18 percent less than similarly-educated men, according to a new study.

Research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers found segregated work environments are the main reason for the disparity.

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Mary Gatta, director of research and public policy for the National Association of Colleges and Employers, said the problem is so prevalent, job analysts gave it a formal title.

"Some of that, as we see in our survey, is attributed to men and women working in different industries and different types of work," Gatta explained. "We called it 'occupational sex segregation.'"

Researchers interviewed 1,400 professionals who graduated between 2017 and 2023, including about 500 men and 900 women. It found the gap brings financial challenges for women, who are more likely to have student loans but less confident of their ability to repay them.

Despite financial disparities, career satisfaction was similar between genders among early-career professionals. Both men and women share comparable views on the speed of their career progression, although they cited different factors affecting their advancement. Gatta noted it can cause long-term problems.

"The pay gap continues as women continue in their careers, with less money they're paying into Social Security, it's less money they're putting into their retirement," Gatta emphasized. "It has immediate impacts around economic security but also economic security as we age."

Nearly three-quarters of men surveyed work for private-sector companies, while just over half of women do. It found 30 percent of women work for nonprofits, where compensation is typically lower than in the private sector. Gatta argued women need to gain more opportunities to explore non-traditional roles.

"The importance of helping introduce women and men to atypical occupations is really important," Gatta stressed. "Introducing women to STEM at an early age, getting that career exploration - we know that is important in helping to break some of that."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.