Blog for Fair Pay Day 2009
What’s just as startling as the fact that only 17% of Congress is made up of women? This:
Women only earn 78 cents for every $1 men make.
Crazy, right? Luckily, National Women’s Law Center is leading the way to change this huge disparity. Today tons of organizations and individuals will blog, tweet, and post for fair pay. One of the many great tweets:
@whereisthao I need equal pay because last I checked — my rent didn’t cost 22% less because I was a woman.
Although President Obama signing the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was an important step, we need to go further to ensure the pay gap is closed.
The issue of equal pay is a prime example of why we need women in office and involved in politics. It’s women activists who are saying enough is enough. It’s women in office who are sponsoring the bills necessary to end the wage gap. And it’s women who will point out that the wage gap isn’t just a woman’s issue - it’s affecting our economy as a whole.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and then-Senator Hillary Clinton introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act, which “would update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act (EPA) of 1963. The Act would deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the EPA and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their wages.” It has already passed in the House - take action today and urge your Senators to support the Paycheck Fairness Act.
Co-sponsor of the bill, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) blogged for fair pay on the Huffington Post today - pointing out why wage discrimination is of great importance to our economy:
The impact of the wage gap is particularly painful in our current economic downturn as families struggle to make ends meet in the face of stagnant wages and job losses. Women make up more than 46 percent of the workforce and, as the number of working women continues to grow, so does the number of families reliant solely on the salaries of women.
Maloney’s point can be applied to all issues affecting women - these aren’t just “women’s issues.” The way women are treated in this country affects everyone. Assuring women’s equality, empowerment, and participation is essential to the health of our nation.
Remember to urge your Senators to support the Paycheck Fairness Act!
Tags: blog for fair pay day, equal pay, lily ledbetter, paycheck fairness act, wage gap
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 at 12:03 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Check out AAUW’s facts on how pay discrimination has affected our economy: http://www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/actionpages/upload/PFACurrentEconomy.pdf
“As the recession continues, for the first time ever women are poised to become the majority of the American workforce. Consequently, women are increasingly becoming the sole breadwinners for their families – making pay equity not just a matter of simple fairness, but the key to families making ends meet.”
April 28th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
There are just certain facts that can’t be ignored. This is a battle that has been fought for far too long to remain unresolved. It is 2009 and we STILL don’t have equal pay! The landscape of the American workforce has changed its face…and its gender. The landscape of the average American household has changed its face, and its gender as well. Men are no longer the sole breadwinners in nearly every home on the street. There are dual income homes, single income homes, single parents, young professionals. And all of those people are doing the same things in life, striving toward the same ends. Yet the women have to work harder and longer to make the same ends meet. It’s time to end this battle and change the landscape of the American workplace. Equal work for equal pay!