Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says women working in Oregon experience about the same pay differential as the national average.

Since the 1970s, women's pay has trailed what men in the workforce earn.

Nationwide, the trend continued in 2010. The latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show American women earned $669 per week, compared with men's median -- $824 per week.

The bureau's Todd Johnson says Oregon's numbers parallel the trend.

"There's a greater spikiness to the Oregon numbers. That's a function of smaller sample sizes. But if you look at the overall trend, they're very similar."Oregon women had median weekly earnings of $659 a week, compared with Oregon men's at $828.

Johnson says a number of factors influence the trend. He says men tend to occupy more highly-paid jobs than women. Also, he says, as in the past, women's career paths continue to be influenced by family changes.