Two economists have offices side by side. A woman is the senior economist. The other, a man, is the junior economist.

Who would you ask for help?

More times than not, Barb Wagner, a senior economist with the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, has watched men stop at her office door before crossing the hall to pose questions to her male co-worker, even though she is the senior employee and has worked longer on the job.

"It happens on the job every single day, so of course you're aware of it," she said, seated in her office last week where she pored over spreadsheets and numbers. "The men tend to be of a certain age or a certain demographic that's used to working with men. It's definitely a generational thing, I think."

Whether such acts are intentional or not, discrimination continues to pervade the workplace in Montana and beyond, putting women at an economic disadvantage later in life.

According to a new U.S. Census Bureau report, Montana women who work full time fell to dead last in the nation in 2007 when it came to their median annual earnings of $26,598.

In comparison, Montana men ranked 47th, earning $38,230, or about $12,000 more than Montana women.

Despite the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which says men and women must receive equal pay for equal work in the same establishment, women still earn less than men. Statistics also say fewer women receive a flexible work schedule compared to men.

Wagner talks statistics and reviews the numbers by industry. Women working in professional and technical services earn 62 cents for every dollar earned by men, while women working in education and health services earn 76 cents to every dollar.

On average, Montana women earn 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. It's a gap Wagner says has been closing slowly since the early 1980s, when women earned just 63 cents to every dollar earned by men.

"The wage gap used to be a lot bigger than it is, and the unexplained portion used to be a lot bigger than it is," said Wagner. "But even when you account for changes in experience and education, and after you account for other differences, there's still 20 percent that's unaccounted for, and a lot of people refer to that as the 'discrimination factor.' "

Wagner has heard most of the arguments before -- how women leave the labor force for longer periods of time or are less likely to work a full-time schedule.

Some say women often exchange higher wages for other compensations like a flexible schedule, which is often needed to tend to children.

However, statistics tell a different story, showing that 28 percent of men receive flexible work schedules compared to just 26 percent of women. Toss in children under 6 years old and the gap widens, with more than 30 percent of men having a flexible work schedule, compared to just 26 percent of women.

"There's not a female economist who hasn't studied this at some point in her life," Wagner says. "I think you're just more conscious of it as a woman. I've had some guys say it's clearly not true because they know females who earn more than they do. They take their own anecdotal evidence and they do what they want with it."

The consequences of women earning less pay on the job could take a toll on society as the population ages.

Women tend to outlive men by 5.3 years. But, as a result of lower pay, they will have less to live off as they enter their golden years.

"You're going to have a lot of poverty and a lot of social costs for women over the age of 65 who are getting Social Security or other benefits," Wagner said. "But if women earn less, they'll have less Social Security to collect when the time comes."

Jodi Medlar, the program director for the Women's Foundation of Montana, has watched the numbers closely. Her organization strives to provide a better future for women and girls, offering grants to the likes of Girls Tech at ExplorationWorks in Helena, the YWCA in Missoula, and the Pro Choice Montana Foundation, among others.

Like Wagner, Medlar fears the consequences that may stem from the pay disparity. It's important, she said, to close the gap sooner than later.

"Social Security is based on earnings, and that places women who earn less throughout life at an economic disadvantage as they head into retirement," Medlar said. "We're talking about $500,000 to $2 million in a lifetime that a woman will lose out on."

The disparity isn't isolated to the private sector. Even in state government, according to the Montana Department of Administration, women earn about $6,900 less than men each year.

When tenure, union affiliation, pay grade and other regression factors are applied -- a statistical technique used by researchers -- the "unexplained" gap between men and women shrinks.

Still, once all the variables are accounted for, women in state government earn $1,010 a year less than men. According to some, discrimination is the only remaining factor that can explain the disparity.

"Over the course of a 25-year career, that $1,000 becomes $25,000," Medlar said. "That's a car, a child's education, or a significant down payment on a house," Medlar said. "When you do the math, it starts to get really stinky."

The impact also begins to ripple into society when families are affected. While the expectations are slowly changing, Medlar said, women are typically entrusted with the role as caretaker. They often find themselves tending to aging parents or looking for work as single mothers.

The Status of Women in Montana report found that women bear substantial responsibility for their families' economic well-being. The wage gap and the number of women in low-paid, female-dominated occupations hurt families' financial security.

"Low wages put a burden on our tax system and our government agencies," Medlar said. "If we can move women economically, we can unburden our tax system and move that money to education and health care.

"I think the consequences are dire," she added. "The children end up taking the brunt of the impact."

The pay gap is closing, but progress is slow. At the current rate, the Montana report found, it will take women another 50 years to achieve wage equality.

And while women comprise more than half the population, they are still under-represented in Congress. At the rate of change established over the past decade, the report noted, it will take nearly 100 years for women to achieve gender equality in political representation.

Mary Caferro, executive director of Working for Equality and Economic Liberation, or WEEL, worked as a childcare provider before she tossed her hat into the state politics ring and won a seat representing Helena's House District 80.

Before her political push, Caferro -- a former recipient of Temporary Assitance for Needy Families, the federal assistance program --worked one job by day and another at night, lending her insight to the pay issue. When she entered politics, she observed the lack of understanding state policy makers often had when it came to women's issues and needs.

"At that time, there were a lot of sitting legislators who had never dealt with child care," she said. "They were older men who had wives who stayed at home and took care of the kids and were raising their children."

Caferro believes that times have changed. More women are making their way into politics. Younger families are setting different standards, with more men staying home to care for the children.

The U.S. Department of Labor found in 2006 that slightly more than 25 percent of wives nationally made more than their husbands when both partners worked. On the opposite end, however, 29 percent of single mothers nationally and 34 percent of single mothers in Montana live below the poverty line.

Caferro admits the issue is a broad one. It's hard to talk about problems without looking for solutions, but even those are difficult to find.

Getting more girls interested in math and science may help drive women into fields that typically pay better, according to experts. Others say policies and practices that encourage women to run for office would help increase their political voice.

Caferro believes the passage of a state earned-income tax credit could help workers in underpaid or undervalued jobs keep more of their earnings. She would also like to see lawmakers develop policies to help women close the pay gap.

"We can set targeted polices that create upward mobility for women, because women hold the majority of the low-wage jobs," she said. "It's important to think of policies that aren't created at the expense of the other gender. But some public servants don't prioritize working women's issues."

Reporter Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com