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Unlikely Allies Tackle Mystery Of Wyoming Gender Wage Gap

Wyoming Legislature

State Representatives Marti Halverson and Cathy Connolly are unlikely allies. Halverson has been a supporter of religious rights bills in the past, while Connolly is the state’s only openly gay lawmaker. But there’s one thing they do agree on: the need for an in-depth study Wyoming’s gender wage gap which reports say is the worst in the nation.

As part of our new series called, “I Respectfully Disagree,” Wyoming Public Radio’s Melodie Edwards sat down with both of them to hear how they came to co-sponsor a bill. Representative Connolly explained she knew she had to do something when yet another reportcame out proclaiming Wyoming as the worst gender wage gap in the U.S.       

If you have a conversation you’d like to share for our civil discourse project, “I Respectfully Disagree,” email Melodie Edwards at medward9@uwyo.edu.

Melodie Edwards is the host and producer of WPM's award-winning podcast The Modern West. Her Ghost Town(ing) series looks at rural despair and resilience through the lens of her hometown of Walden, Colorado. She has been a radio reporter at WPM since 2013, covering topics from wildlife to Native American issues to agriculture.
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