The gender wage gap is closing at a slower rate in Utah and other states considered to be more religious than in more secular states.

But there are ways to fix that, researchers say, and the remedies start by being aware that piety can affect pay.

Each of the six major world religions — Buddhism, Christianity, Folk, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism — promotes differentiated gender roles for men and women, which shape social norms, including in the workplace, according to “The Hidden Cost of Prayer: Religiosity and the Gender Wage Gap,” published in October in the Academy of Management Journal.

“It’s not that one religion is better or worse, with respect to the gender wage gap. … It’s just whether religion is crucial to people’s day-to-day,” said Elizabeth M. Campbell, an assistant professor in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Work and Organizations, who co-wrote the study with University of Colorado Denver associate professor Traci Sitzmann.

This applies across the United States and internationally. And while the report does not specifically focus on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Campbell said it falls under the Christianity umbrella in the research.