Governor Evers is paying women in his cabinet on average substantially less than men, an analysis of salary figures has found. Although Evers gave each cabinet secretary a substantial raise shortly after taking office in January, women in his cabinet make an average of $9,699.15 less than men.
The MacIver Institute reported last week that Evers had substantially boosted the salaries of his nine cabinet secretaries by an average of $17,816. Eight of the nine received raises of more than $20,000 per year.
Those raises, however, were not distributed evenly among the five men and four women in the Evers cabinet. An analysis of the new salaries has determined that men in the Evers cabinet make an average of $145,954.40 annually, but women make $136,255.25 per year.
The three lowest-paid cabinet secretaries in the Evers Administration are all women, and just one woman (Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm) is among the five highest earners.
While campaigning for governor, Evers repeatedly promised to enact policies that support equal pay if elected. On Equal Pay Day last April, he wrote on Facebook that "women are too often paid less than men, and women of color, in particular, are disproportionately affected. It’s wrong. We won’t stand for it. And as Governor, I will work to reverse the damage Scott Walker has done that continues to stack the deck against Wisconsin’s women."
In endorsing Evers and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, the National Organization for Women's Wisconsin chapter called them "proven advocates who support equal pay protections, LGBTQIA+ rights, racial and economic justice."