SALISBURY, Md. - Limited child care, transportation, and job opportunities are among the barriers facing women across Maryland's Eastern Shore workforce, according to a new report released Thursday by the Maryland Comptroller’s Office.
The Women & the Economy report, released by the Maryland Office of the Comptroller on Thursday, Oct. 8, examines women’s contributions to Maryland’s economy while documenting continuing gaps in workforce participation, pay, business ownership, and leadership.
On the Eastern Shore, participants in discussions held for the report described challenges balancing paid work with caregiving responsibilities. They also pointed to fewer opportunities for higher education and expectations about the types of jobs women should pursue.
The report draws on economic data and nine roundtable discussions with nearly 200 women statewide.
Eastern Shore workforce challenges
Among Eastern Shore residents ages 25 to 64, 81% of women were working or actively looking for work, compared with 86% of men, according to the report’s analysis of 2024 Census data.
That five-percentage-point gap was smaller than the statewide gap of eight percentage points. Across Maryland, workforce participation among that age group stood at 81% for women and 89% for men.
Shore participants also described how earning more money can sometimes leave workers struggling financially if the increase causes them to lose public assistance.
“I have heard from employers that good employees are not able to take promotions because the small increase in pay does not equate to what they lose in benefits,” an Eastern Shore workforce development professional told researchers. “And the employers are unable to give enough increase to match.”
The report describes that situation as a “benefits cliff,” which can discourage workers from taking promotions or working additional hours.
County-level figures based on Census five-year estimates show differences in women’s workforce participation across the Shore. Among women ages 16 and older, participation was 63% in Wicomico County, 60% in Caroline, 55% in Dorchester and Worcester, 53% in Somerset and 51% in Talbot, according to the report.
Opening doors to skilled trades
The Comptroller’s report also highlights local efforts to expand women’s access to jobs in skilled trades.
Worcester County, for instance, is partnering with schools on career exploration opportunities in trades and agriculture, with growing interest among school-aged young women, the report reads.
Meanwhile, Seaside Toolbox Academy, a nonprofit connecting young people with skilled-trades opportunities on the Eastern Shore, also reported increased participation by women, particularly in carpentry, welding, and HVAC.
Researchers identified career and technical education as one potential pathway into higher-paying occupations that do not require a four-year college degree.
Statewide pay and business ownership gaps
Across Maryland, women make up 51.6% of the population and hold 80% of employment in health care and 67% in educational services, according to the report.
Despite those contributions, the report finds women continue to earn less than men. Among workers ages 25 to 64 with a bachelor’s degree or higher, women earned median annual wages of $85,000, compared with $106,000 for men. Those figures include both full-time and part-time workers.
Differences in occupations and working hours contribute to earnings gaps, the report says, but disparities also persist among similarly educated women and men working in the same jobs.
Women-owned businesses, meanwhile, are growing faster than those owned by men. Researchers say that between 2019 and 2023, the number of women-owned businesses in Maryland increased 17%, compared with 10% for men-owned businesses. Women owned 42% of the state’s businesses in 2023.
“Women power Maryland’s economy as workers, business owners, entrepreneurs, leaders, and consumers, yet the data shows that they continue to face barriers that limit their ability to fully participate and prosper,” Comptroller Brooke Lierman said in a statement announcing the report.
The comptroller’s office also said available data and research suggest federal workforce cuts have disproportionately affected Black women in Maryland, who were previously employed in the federal government at high rates. Those cuts, the report reads, have “coincided with a steady increase in Black unemployment rates in Maryland.”
The report also identifies several policy areas that could help women advance economically, including caregiving support, flexible workplace policies, equal pay efforts, technical training, and greater access to financing and government contracts.
