March 29, 2018

Texas Comptroller Visits San Antonio on Tour Celebrating Women in the Workforce

(SAN ANTONIO) — On the second stop of his Good for Texas Tour: Women in the Workforce Edition, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar visited Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA), where he celebrated the work of Brigadier General Heather Pringle and highlighted the economic impact of Texas women throughout government.

Pringle is Commander of the 502nd Air Base Wing at JBSA, which is the Department of Defense’s largest joint base with about 80,000 employees. Prior to assuming her current position, Pringle served as the executive officer to the chief of staff of the Air Force, directly supporting him in all official duties and engagements with Congress, allies, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commands and other government agencies.

During his Good for Texas Tour: Women in the Workforce Edition, Hegar is sharing the results of a study the Comptroller's office recently completed examining the economic impact of women on the Texas economy. He is touring facilities and meeting with exemplary women leaders across the state in all sectors of Texas’ economy.

“Women hold more than half of Texas’ 2.1 million jobs in the government sector,” Hegar said. “There’s a higher concentration of Texas women working in this sector than in the nation as a whole. These jobs held by Texas women generate additional business activities that ultimately support nearly 2.2 million jobs in other industries throughout the state economy.”

In 2016, the government sector contributed $175 billion to Texas gross state product (GSP), accounting for more than 10 percent of the state total. Within this sector, the highest share of women work in local government, at 64 percent. Of these, 75 percent are in education.

Though women hold more than half of the state’s government jobs, they hold only 16 percent of all military jobs in Texas, and their average annual salary is about $53,000, up 16 percent from 2010.

In all, more than 6 million women held jobs in Texas in 2017. Texas’ women-owned businesses employed 808,200 workers and generated about $134.2 million in sales. But further efforts are needed to eliminate barriers to women’s entrepreneurship and access to top-level positions. Three of the most women-dominated occupations in Texas — health care support, personal care and service and office and administrative support — are among the lowest-paid occupations in the state.

“I hope this tour will also serve to emphasize the importance of ensuring women have equal access to advancement in the workplace and leadership roles in all sectors of the Texas economy,” Hegar said.

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