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The Women’s Employment Issues Committee of the Maine Jobs Council established the Women’s Benchmarking Project to track progress in attaining economic security for women in Maine. To achieve this aim, the Committee will annually evaluate a series of eight spotlights. The indicators for these spotlights include information on employment, wages, education, and insurance, and their related differentials between men and women. Spotlights will be updated annually to identify areas in which Maine women are not reaching the economic status of their male counterparts.
The purpose of this extended report is to provide background information to aid in the interpretation of the annual spotlighting data. This information is made up of historical data, county level data, and comparisons of Maine statistics with other states. This report also discusses the implications of the spotlights, using both the data and other qualitative information that describes Maine women’s economic condition.
A Report Subcommittee was established in July 2005 to identify relevant spotlights and to oversee the development of the report. The Subcommittee membership includes Valerie Carter, Jane Gilbert, Winnie Malia, Leslie Manning, Lisa Pohlmann, Sarah Standiford, and Suzanne Thivierge. Additional assistance was provided by Christy Cross. Peaches Bass staffed the Subcommittee. This report was researched and compiled by Amanda M. Michaud, Wage Studies Intern through the Maine State Government Summer Internship Program; David Welch, Economic Research Analyst, added important clarifications. Both Ms. Michaud and Mr. Welch performed their work under the auspices of the Maine Department of Labor - Labor Market Information Services, John Dorrer, Director.
Special thanks are due to the Maine Center for Economic Policy, and in particular, Policy Analyst Ed Cervone and Assistant Director Lisa Pohlmann, for editing this document. The Women’s Employment Issues Committee fosters action on current factors affecting women’s participation in the workforce. It is one of four statutorily defined standing committees of the Maine Jobs Council.