March 8 is International Women’s Day. All over the country women skipped work and participated in marches and rallies to spotlight women’s economic contributions as a part of an action called "A Day Without a Woman."

Wyoming has a reputation as the state with one of the worst gender wage gaps in the U.S. In response, State Representatives Marti Halverson and Cathy Connolly co-sponsored a bill to commission a study to look at the disparity in wages and benefits between men and women in the state.

House Bill 209 will be signed Thursday by Governor Matt Mead, giving the Department of Workforce Services the green light to begin working on the wage disparity study. 

Representative Connolly said this study will help the state "develop the best possible policies to address any gaps that are found and we can think of this both in terms of what’s best for women, men, families, and communities."

Representative Connolly added that addressing this issue is also good for economic development in the state. 

"It doesn’t bode well for a company when they are doing their due diligence about the state to think about what it means to move a company and their families to the state," Connolly said.  "And we don’t want headlines that say that Wyoming is worse for women given our wage gap."

Connolly said the study will take place over the next year and a half.