By: Brittany Alexander
Many young women in this generation believe they live in a world in which men and women are treated equal. Unfortunately, that world does not exist. It has been nearly 50 years since President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and yet a significant gender pay gap still persists.
When President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963, he noted that one in every three workers in the U.S. was a woman. Today women make up half of the American workforce.
It is puzzling to see that in 2012 women still earn a mere 77 cents to the dollar of what men earn. For women in minority groups the gap is even wider. African-American and Hispanic women earn 70% and 61% of what Caucasian men earn. Then we have single women who are hit even harder, because they do not have any male income in their households. This wage gap costs working women and their families more than $10,000 annually and jeopardizes women’s retirement security.
There are laws in tact such as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, which restores fairness for workers who want to use federal law to challenge cases of discriminatory pay; however, it only addresses one segment of the big picture. More progress has to be made.
State Representative Cory Atkins, House chairwoman of the Caucus of Women Legislators, said “Until we get to the stage that every woman is making the same amount of money as a man for the same job, we have not achieved equality.’’
Women and families need paid sick days and paid leave. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, the U.S. is the only country among 22 countries ranked highly in terms of economic and human development that does not guarantee that workers receive paid sick days or paid sick leave Under current U.S. labor law, employers are not required to provide short-term paid sick days or longer-term paid sick leave. As a result, each year millions of American workers go to work sick, lowering productivity and potentially spreading illness to their coworkers and customers. Workers who are forced to stay home without pay because of illness lose income. These loses can take a toll on women, who are more likely to have care-giving responsibilities.
Paycheck discrimination is not the only obstacle preventing women from having the same economic opportunities as men. As families depend more on women’s wages, eliminating wage discrimination is also critical for middle class economic security. Women make up nearly half of all workers on US payrolls. In fact, now more than ever women are the primary breadwinners for their families. If these primary breadwinners earn lower incomes, it won’t just affect their families, but also consumer spending and our larger financial growth.
At the federal and state level, men and women must fight efforts to repeal equal pay laws and support increases in the minimum wage. All these issues affect individual financial health and the strength of our collective economy.
Great post. I agree with you, and the facts speak for themselves. It’s unfortunate men can’t have children because I think just the time off and biological part of it slows women down a bit (not all, granted, but maybe a few because they must care for their new child). Meaning, this skews the stats. I would love to see a survey where you compare women with no children who never stopped working and men in the exact same position, Maybe it exists out there? Even if they are primary breadwinners, it doesn’t address the child factor, and I think that’s a biggie, don’t you?
That is an interesting perspective. You know what, I will conduct some research on that and write about it. The statistics are definitely out there. Once I gather all of my information, I will post it and let you know so you can check it out!
And if there are any more topics you want to see me write about, feel free to let me know! All opinions are welcome
Reblogged this on The ObamaCrat.Com™ and commented:
Okay, I JUST discovered Ms. Alexander’s blog (honestly, she discovered me) and it is magnificent. You guys gotta go visit “Inside Public Minds”.
Thank you again
Hi Brittany, thank you for finding me because I am discovering your blog. It is brilliant! My own rendition of these concepts in this post of yours, I’ve expressed the sentiments I’ve heard echoed by many women here in a poetic flow. Thank you for writing about this! I’ll be honored if you get a chance to read it. http://theheartdrive.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/bitch-you-say-it-like-its-bad/
You are very welcome! And thank you! The fight for women’s rights have definitely been a long one, but it is far from over! I would be delighted to read your post.
AGREED. In reading your blog, I find a lot of resonance in the themes we both write about. We cannot separate what happens in the world as impersonal, it’s all relevant to who we are as human being. Look forward to reading more of what you write, you have a boatload of insight and talent, my sister of prose!
Thank you so much! Your support is very much appreciated. I enjoy reading your posts as well and I agree with you completely. We cannot turn a blind eye to what happens around us. Change cannot happen that way. In many instances, it only takes what person to make a difference; however there is strength in numbers.
Thank you Brittany. I’ve referred your post on my Facebook wall. Your analysis that the economic welfare of this country is actually dependent on equal pay because it promotes increased spending by a significant segment of the population is insightful and very truthful. The efforts of those who seek to economically suppress all of us make no economic sense. They are based entirely on the misguided ego needs of those who want to appear superior to everybody else. They display no signs of any ability to see beyond their own shortsighted vision. The long term effects of their narrow self interest will lead to their own eventual downfall.
Thank you so much for sharing my post on your Facebook wall! Your posts are very insightful was well and I look forward to reading more!