MANKATO — A luncheon Monday to discuss the economic status of women in Minnesota contained a dose of hope, but certainly had its share of somber news.

Like this statistic: In 2009, about 65 percent of all Minnesota boys who took the ACT college entrance exam met the national benchmark in math while just 51 percent of girls met it. In science, 45 percent of boys met the benchmark compared to just 33 percent of girls.

This was the tone for a presentation by Amy Brenengen from the state’s Office on the Economic Status of Women and Debra Fitzpatrick of the Center on Women and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute.

The gathering at the Country Inn and Suites of about 100 women and a few men listened to Brenengen and Fitzpatrick outline a sort of “state of the status of women,” economically speaking, based on research their groups have done.

“Our goal is not to depress or overwhelm you,” Brenengen said.

The situation for women, they say, hasn’t improved as much as some people would like think. Income disparity remains. They say it’s actually gotten a little worse during the past few years.

They say women statistically have lower incomes than men, roughly 79 cents for every dollar a man earns. Women of color, who battle racism, earn less. And women of color who have been in jail earn the least.

Many do not have health insurance, even when they become pregnant and are the sole breadwinner for their households.

“That’s an issue we need to be thinking more about,” Fitzpatrick said.

And as the government makes a push for green jobs, many of which require degrees or advanced training in math and science, the situation for girls doesn’t look any brighter. More girls are studying math and science today than 20 years ago, but the numbers still lag far behind boys.

A panel of local community leaders — including Kathy Brynaert, Kathy Sheran, Anne Ganey, Judi Brandon and Diane Norland — also spoke at Monday’s gathering and offered hope for the future.

Women for decades made strides in elected office positions, but recently their growth has leveled off.

Their biggest representation among government bodies is school boards, where women hold 37 percent of all positions across the state. They hold 27 percent of all city council positions, about 15 percent of mayoral spots, and 11 percent of county commissioner spots.

“When women run, they win at equal rates to men,” Fitzpatrick said. “The bad news is, we’re seeing a decrease in the number of women candidates.”

The panel, then, encouraged the women in attendance to run for office. Only with more women serving in government can inequality be addressed.

“Women tend to not be running to further other ambitions. They run to serve,” said Rep. Brynaert, DFL-Mankato.

And when asked what it would take to get more women to run for office, Brynaert replied, “Women need to be asked.”

Anne Ganey, executive director of the YWCA, said changes need to happen early in the lives of girls. That’s why the YWCA has started up its Girls on the Run program, which sends positive messages to girls about themselves and their role in society.

“Our girls need positive, early messages about their potential,” she said.