Monthly Archive for April, 2011

When Women Do Better, Families Do Better and the Nation Can Thrive

Published on April 12, 2011 in Debra Ness and Workplace Fairness. 0 Comments

Debra Ness, President

President Obama hit the mark during his recent Women’s History Month address on fair pay when he said that “achieving equal pay for equal work isn’t just a women’s issue. It’s a family issue.” At the National Partnership, we’ve been saying the same thing for decades: when women do better, families do better. It couldn’t be more true.

Women today are balancing more roles than ever before, including, in more and more cases, that of sole or co-breadwinners for their families. The majority of working mothers in the United States now bring in at least a quarter of their families’ income. Nearly 14.5 million households nationwide are headed solely by women. Women are an integral factor in the economic security of America’s families.

That’s why the fact that women are still being paid only 77 cents for every dollar paid to men is so concerning. In 1963, women were paid just 59 cents for every dollar paid to men. That means that in nearly five decades the wage gap has closed at a rate of less than half a cent per year. At this pace, women will have to wait another four decades to even come close to wage equality.

Women and families have waited long enough. The time to prioritize fair pay is now.

When women are paid low wages and suffer from wage discrimination, the strain is felt throughout their families and communities. In tough economic times like these, the loss of critical income can mean the difference between having basic necessities, and going without. For those living in or near poverty, the consequences of wage discrimination can be particularly severe.

For Equal Pay Day, the National Partnership released state reports that illustrate the harm being done to women and their families as a result of the wage gap. The findings are astounding. In states across the country, women are collectively losing tens of billions of dollars annually – money that could alleviate the strain on countless families and pay for years’ worth of basic necessities. Alaskan women, for example, could buy 1.7 years’ worth of food with the money they lose. In Connecticut, women could pay for 15 more months of rent. California’s women could buy 2,100 gallons of gas.

That’s what the wage gap is costing families. But solutions are within reach. One of them will advance today, on Equal Pay Day, when Senator Barbara Mikulski (D – Md.) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D – Conn.) re-introduce the Paycheck Fairness Act. By closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and establishing stronger workplace protections for women, the legislation can break harmful patterns of wage discrimination and tighten the wage gap.

We need every member of Congress to support this common sense bill. President Obama has already shown his commitment to equal pay by signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act as his first piece of major legislation, establishing the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force to crack down on wage discrimination, and publicly continuing to call for fair pay.

The public is on board too. In a national poll, 84 percent of registered men and women voters said they support a law – like the Paycheck Fairness Act – that would give women more tools to get fair pay in the workplace. Seventy-two percent said they strongly support such a law. The public knows what too many legislators and employers have failed to figure out. When women do better, families do better, and we all benefit. It’s just that simple.

So let’s keep up our energy and momentum in the coming months, and remind lawmakers about what is really at stake in the fight for fair pay. It is certainly about women and achieving true equality, but it is also about the economic security of families – yours, mine, and the generations of families to come. It’s time to take a stand for fair pay.

Wage Discrimination and the Fight for Fair Pay

Published on April 12, 2011 in Sarah Crawford and Workplace Fairness. 1 Comment

Director of Workplace Fairness

In a few months, the Supreme Court will decide if the women in the landmark Dukes v. Wal-Mart wage discrimination case will get their day in court to challenge unfair pay and promotions. Today, on Equal Pay Day, Senator Barbara Mikulski and Representative Rosa DeLauro will re-introduce the Paycheck Fairness Act – legislation that would establish workplace supports to help advance fair, discrimination-free workplaces. Both are big news in the fight for fair pay this year, and both represent critical ways to combat the wage discrimination that continues to hurt America’s women and their families.

Currently, a full-time working woman in the United States is paid, on average, $10,622 less than a full-time working man. For African American and Latino women, the gap is even worse, $18,514 and $23,806 respectively. Those who doubt the wage gap and its relevance argue that differing experiences, priorities and choices are the true culprit but, according to a 2003 study conducted by the Government Accountability Office, even after accounting for personal choices, a significant wage gap remains. The data and stories from women across the country prove that, sadly, wage discrimination persists in today’s workplaces.

To effectively combat wage discrimination, working women need to be both aware that they are being paid unfairly, and capable of challenging their employers’ actions. In the case of Dukes v. Wal-Mart, 1.6 million current and former female employees at Wal-Mart are attempting to do just that. The women have come together to challenge the widespread, systemic discrimination in pay and promotions they suffered at the hands of the nation’s largest private employer. The company is arguing that the group is too big and too dissimilar to proceed with the case as a class. On March 29th, the Supreme Court heard arguments on whether or not the case should continue. Its decision is expected in June.

In cases of wage discrimination in particular, often women don’t know that they are being paid less than their male co-workers because many employers discourage employees from sharing salary information. If they do find out, many fear retaliation for reporting it or taking action. Other women don’t have the resources to hire attorneys and follow through with their claims in court.

This situation allows unlawful wage discrimination to continue – and it’s what makes Dukes v. Wal-Mart especially important. If women can’t come together to challenge unequal treatment, countless instances of discrimination will go unaddressed.

The ability to combat wage discrimination once it has happened is critical but it would be better if we could prevent the discrimination in the first place. That is why strengthening wage discrimination laws and the enforcement of those already in place is essential. The Paycheck Fairness Act is a huge step in that direction. The bill would make it easier for employers, employees and government agencies to identify discriminatory pay policies, while also enhancing those agencies’ ability to enforce wage discrimination laws. If passed, the Paycheck Fairness Act would help to prevent the wage discrimination that is taking a significant financial toll on working women and their families.

There is no one solution to the problem of unequal wages in this country. But protecting women’s ability to challenge wage discrimination and helping to prevent it through greater transparency and improved enforcement would be a good start. Those simple steps could change the lives of generations of women.

In honor of Equal Pay Day and recent steps to advance fair pay, let’s harness the energy around this issue and recommit to turning the vision of workplaces free from wage discrimination into reality.

Women and Families of Color Cannot Wait for Equal Pay

Published on April 12, 2011 in Portia Wu and Workplace Fairness. 0 Comments

Portia Wu, Vice President, NPWF

It’s Equal Pay Day. Today, we recognize that women have had to work nearly a quarter of the year to make the same amount as their male counterparts did last year. On average, women who work full time in the United States are still paid $10,622 less per year than full-time working men. That number is appalling, but the wage gap is far worse for many women and families of color:

African American women who work full time are paid $18,514 less than white men who work full time. For Latino women, the gap is an astonishing $23,806. Closing this gap would have life-changing consequences, particularly in tough economic times like these.

Consider this: If the wage gap were eliminated, African American women who work full time could afford an additional three years’ worth of food, 12 months of mortgage and utility payments, 22 months of rent, more than five years of family health insurance premiums or more than 6,500 gallons of gas. Latino women could afford an additional 4 years’ worth of food, 16 months of mortgage and utility payments, 28 months of rent, almost seven years of family health insurance premiums, or more than 8,700 gallons of gas. Without question, the wage gap has a significant impact on the economic security of working women of color and their families.

Closing the gap is more important than ever. Women of color are recovering from the incredible harm done by the recession and the majority continue to be sole or significant breadwinners in their families. As a result, when our incomes are depressed by discrimination and unequal wages, our families and communities suffer.

The wage gap means that every month working mothers in our communities must struggle to decide which is more important: the electric bill or their families’ health insurance payments; the rent or gasoline to get to work. Closing the wage gap won’t prevent all of these situations but, when women are paid more fairly for their work, many will be able to avoid these impossible choices. Tens of millions of working women will be able to rest a little easier each night.

Leaders within our communities have already been vocal and active supporters of equal pay. Betty Dukes and Edith Arana have taken their wage discrimination case all the way to the Supreme Court. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D – District of Columbia) has been a long-time champion of equal pay legislation. U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis is committed to closing the wage gap and ensuring equity in the workplace. And we are fortunate to have a champion in President Obama, who has made equal pay a priority – from signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act as his first major piece of legislation to pressing for passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act.

It’s time for all members of Congress to follow their example. And it’s time for all of us to let them know that it’s important for them to promote economic security for all women, especially women of color. The Paycheck Fairness Act, which was re-introduced today in recognition of Equal Pay Day, is their opportunity. The bill is critically important and should be a priority for anyone who believes in equality and workplace fairness. Women and families of color cannot afford to wait any longer for equal pay. The time is now.