Via: NBC 5
By: Larry Collins

Texas ranks 34th nationally for women in poverty.

Thursday is International Women’s Day; a day focusing on the contributions women have made to society and the struggle for equality.

In an effort to raise awareness and inspire change, the Dallas Women’s Foundation will release a study that discusses the pay gap between men and women in North Texas.

The study finds that if trends continue, it could take until 2049 to reach pay equity between men and women in Texas.

“It’s not shocking, but it’s discomforting,” Roslyn Dawson of the Dallas Women’s Foundation said.

Nationally on average, women make 84 cents for every dollar a man makes. The average is 78 cents in Texas.

“If we were to pay women and men the same in the state of Texas, women’s income would go up by $7,300 on average,” Dawson said. “That would take half the women in the Dallas, Denton and Collin area out of poverty.”

Texas ranks 34th nationally for women in poverty.

The study finds the wage gap smallest in Dallas County and greatest in Denton County.

In Texas, almost 37 percent of businesses are owned by women which is above the national average of 28 percent.