Good Old Boys
Our country had an enforceable equal pay law from 1964 to May 2007, until the Supreme Court ruled against Lilly Ledbetter. Lilly worked for Goodyear Tire for 19 years, and got paid less than any man. She didn’t learn until near the end of her employment that she was earning less for the same work. She sued and she won, but the Supreme Court in a 5 to 4 decision overturned her award saying she failed to bring her suit within 180 days of the first discriminatory act. Thus, they gutted the ability to enforce the law.
The Fair Pay Act restores the ability to enforce a law that’s been on the books for forty years. Senator John McCain opposed the Fair Pay Act, a bill that would have help guarantee women equal pay for equal work. He claims that the solution to employment discrimination was for women to get more “education and training.” That made sense in the past, but today women outnumber men on college campuses. Senator McCain’s statements aren’t just misinformed, but a sad reminder that he’s totally out of touch with the hard realities facing working women. Studies have shown that women are paid less than men for the same work, even when they have the same education and training. Senator McCain and his good old boys have chosen to stand in the way of enforcement of a law that’s been on the books protecting women for 40 years.
McCain is the son and grandson of Admirals, but ranked 894 in his graduating class of 899 at the Naval Academy. He needs to be educated that today, women are actually quite educated.
Pay equity is a serious issue that faces women and mothers all across America. Consider these key facts:
• Women make less for the same work. On average, women who work full time all year only make $0.77 for every dollar their male counterparts make.
• The pay gap is even worse for mothers. Mothers only make $0.73 to a man’s dollar and single mothers only make about $0.60 to a man’s dollar.
• Wage discrimination cuts across educational levels. For example, for workers 25 years old or older who had some high school education, women's annual earnings were around $15,162, compared to $24,092 for men. But even earning a bachelor's degree didn't help. Women with a bachelor’s degree made around $38,221 a year, while men at the same level made $55,425.
• In some places, the pay gap has actually increased. A study done by the U.S. Government Accounting Office found that women managers across 10 industries not only made less than their male counterparts, but in seven of those industries the pay gap had actually increased between 1995 and 2001.
The Fair Pay Act restores the ability to enforce a law that’s been on the books for forty years. Senator John McCain opposed the Fair Pay Act, a bill that would have help guarantee women equal pay for equal work. He claims that the solution to employment discrimination was for women to get more “education and training.” That made sense in the past, but today women outnumber men on college campuses. Senator McCain’s statements aren’t just misinformed, but a sad reminder that he’s totally out of touch with the hard realities facing working women. Studies have shown that women are paid less than men for the same work, even when they have the same education and training. Senator McCain and his good old boys have chosen to stand in the way of enforcement of a law that’s been on the books protecting women for 40 years.
McCain is the son and grandson of Admirals, but ranked 894 in his graduating class of 899 at the Naval Academy. He needs to be educated that today, women are actually quite educated.
Pay equity is a serious issue that faces women and mothers all across America. Consider these key facts:
• Women make less for the same work. On average, women who work full time all year only make $0.77 for every dollar their male counterparts make.
• The pay gap is even worse for mothers. Mothers only make $0.73 to a man’s dollar and single mothers only make about $0.60 to a man’s dollar.
• Wage discrimination cuts across educational levels. For example, for workers 25 years old or older who had some high school education, women's annual earnings were around $15,162, compared to $24,092 for men. But even earning a bachelor's degree didn't help. Women with a bachelor’s degree made around $38,221 a year, while men at the same level made $55,425.
• In some places, the pay gap has actually increased. A study done by the U.S. Government Accounting Office found that women managers across 10 industries not only made less than their male counterparts, but in seven of those industries the pay gap had actually increased between 1995 and 2001.
posted by Jim O'Leary | 12:01 AM
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