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Nearly four years have passed since the COVID-19 siege began in early 2020, but the workplace still hasn’t completely recovered.

One critical reason: The pandemic hit women workers the hardest, and it’s taken longer for them to return to anything approaching business as usual.

During those dark days, more women than men ended up working from home, taking leaves or resigning altogether to care for children or ailing family members. And many of them have never come back.

That’s why now — perhaps more than any other time in U.S. history — employers are scrambling to recruit and retain women staffers.

That means women are in the driver’s seat … or at least they should be.

According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, though, women earners still average only 83.7 cents for every dollar that their male counterparts make.

in Forbes Magazine outlined a step-by-step action plan employers might consider in order to hire and keep women — things like offering more recognition, revisiting the company culture and setting up extensive mentorships.

Good ideas probably, but the article failed to mention the most obvious incentive:

Pay them more.

Look, women have done their share and then some for years.

Many of them juggle extra family responsibilities. And as they’ve built their careers, most have encountered all sorts of obstacles — some subtle, some blatant — that men never face.

It’s hard to believe that the hope of a framed certificate for being employee of the month is going to bring them back. Employers need to start cutting bigger checks to cut the pay inequity.

So perhaps now is a good time for us to highlight the value of some of the women who — regardless of what they’re paid — are getting things done around Central Washington.

In this year’s edition of Women in Business, we’ve spoken with several who’ve moved past employment and are doing nicely making their own way as business owners. Their backgrounds, talents and goals are varied, but they all share the core qualities that are necessary to succeed: intelligence, perseverance, courage, creativity and a willingness to work hard.

We don’t know how much they’re making, but we’re pretty sure they all deserve a raise. After you read their stories in the next few pages, we’re betting you’ll agree.