To study gender pay gap, Wake sends surveys to local businesses | News & Observer

Wake County government has sent surveys to more than 250 businesses, colleges and nonprofits in the county to gather data on how much women are paid compared to their male colleagues.

The surveys, which are being administered through the Novak Consulting Group, come nearly a year after Wake’s Board of Commissioners formed the Task Force on Employment and Wage Issues for Women.

Wake will use the information from the survey to “work with the public and private sectors to develop a strategy that will not only narrow the pay gap between men and women, but also improve employee recruitment and retention while making Wake County more competitive in the marketplace,” said Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, retired vice president of Duke Energy and a task force member.

The county is paying $9,975 to conduct the survey. The survey is blind, meaning the information shared cannot be traced back to the employer who provided it.

The task force hopes to compile the data and present a report to commissioners later this year.