According to the
National Women’s Law Center in Washington, D.C., “Women in the United States are still paid only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. For women of color, the numbers are even worse - African American women earn 63 cents and Latinas earn 52 cents for every dollar paid to white men.”
It has taken women until April 22, 2008 to equal the annual salary paid to men in 2007. Don’t believe this kind of inequity is happening today in an enlightened modern society, well wake up I have news for you.
I sort of understand how some of you can blissfully go through you day without giving pay discrimination a second thought. Why even those that are affected in corporate employer situations may not know for years. In some companies new employees are required to sign an agreement not to discuss their salaries, particularly with other company employees.
The National Woman’s Law Center is supporting the
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which has passed the House of Representatives, and is now in the US Senate and may be stuck there. This bill is in response to a 5-4 Supreme Court decision which held that employees cannot challenge ongoing compensation discrimination if the employer's original discriminatory decision occurred more than 180 days before, even when the employee continues to receive paychecks that have been discriminatorily reduced.
Working in local government I have been less conscious of the dealings of private industry regarding gender based wage practices than others might. My experience with government employers has been that they are onboard with the “equal pay for equal work” for as long as I can remember, and leveling the playing field in terms of gender limitations in occupations and progression up the ranks. So, I am surprised as you might be to see this is still a national issue. And, even more so to learn that a 5-4 vote in the Supreme Court went to business versus what I consider to be human rights.
If you want to become better informed about this Act and how your congress person voted, the internet has a wealth of information. If you are experiencing discrimination at your company, or not… let your Senator know how you feel about this matter
Well, someday in the not too distant future my generation is going to turn this whole mess over to Gen Y and you will have to make sure the Xers do the right thing. After all, they will then be the Old fogeys on the Supreme Court and in the Senate.