Louisiana is the state most largely impacted in the country by the wage gap between men and women according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The data shows a 35 percent gap averaging between men and women in Louisiana, with the average woman being paid 65 cents to every dollar a man is paid.
The issue confuses Breanna Hebert, freshman psychology major.
“I thought we were supposed to be equal by law even, but in actuality we’re
not treated like it,” Hebert said.
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 made it illegal to pay men and women different salaries for similar work and although it was a milestone in gender equality, it is difficult to enforce because of the many loopholes the act contains. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination in the workplace based on gender and race.
Katherine Conner, assistant professor of language and literature, admitted to being personally affected in her field as a creative writer.
“They like creative writers who have novels and more men get novels published and, in my opinion, are taken more seriously,” Connor said.
Although many students and faculty alike are aware of the issue, not many are convinced state government in the near future will seriously address it.
Tyler Sims, senior petroleum services major is one of the students who is not confident in the legislature.  “The state government is so messed up already that this is definitely going to get put on the backburner,” Sims said.
Some people say that instead of trying to press for legislation on the issue, women should focus on getting raises.
Jenifer Nash, math graduate student offered a contingency plan.
“I don’t think it will ever be completely equal but I think they should still work on decreasing the gap,” Nash said.
The most recent attempt to close the gap on a national level was the Paycheck Fairness Act. The act did not pass in the senate in 2014 but is proof that the fight for gender equality is far from being over.
Many critics argue that women earn less because they are competing in fields dominated by men, but a study mandated by the legislature over 2013 and 2014 concluded that Louisiana women also earn less than men in female dominated fields.
“I can’t tell you how many students call me ‘Ms. Conner’ or ‘Ms. Katherine’ because they would never automatically make a connection that I’m a doctor,” Conner said.
The gender wage gap does not even cease with regard to education level. Nash affirms this issue when she recalls her mother being a teacher and getting paid less than her male counterparts. The American Association of University Women conducted a study which showed women with the same education as men, no matter how advanced, earn anywhere between 25 and 26 percent less than the men in their class.
“I feel like now is a time more than ever where women are doing more jobs men do, especially looking at women in the military,” Sims said. “I hope something will be done about this in the near future because women deserve to be paid as much as we [men] do for doing the same thing.”