If you believe that America is moving forward, check out the latest on equal pay. While you were sleeping in this morning, it was defeated again in a vote in the Senate. It does not seem to matter that 84% of voters support equal pay for women in the workplace. I guess that is just the smack on the face I must have needed. It seems that the lobbyist of big business don't want equal pay, hence we don't get those so called representatives in the Senate to vote correctly on it. Who in the he double hockey stick does own this country? It certainly isn't us. Oh, and by the way, this is a somewhat historical trend, are you aware of just how many years it took us to get the right to vote? Yes, no use repeating it here, it is shameful when you think about it. Yes, women then did not support their own sex getting the right to vote. That must be where Snowe and Collins get off with their efforts today. Read it and weep folks. You don't deserve equal pay, you are simply not equal.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11/17/2010
Contact:
Lisa Goodnight, goodnightl@aauw.org
202/785-7738
AAUW Condemns Today's Procedural Defeat of the Paycheck Fairness Act
Senate Misses Opportunity to Take a Bite Out of the Pay Gap
WASHINGTON – The American Association of University Women (AAUW) sharply criticized today's procedural defeat of the Paycheck Fairness Act by a 58-41 vote in the U.S. Senate. The Senate's rejection of the bill comes despite widespread support of the legislation from the White House and ordinary Americans committed to basic fairness and equality.
"This was a missed opportunity to make history and jump start real economic change for American women and their families," said AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman, CAE. "While the Senate's action is difficult to comprehend given the stark reality that most families depend on the paychecks of women, our effort to close the pay gap is far from over."
On average, women still make only 77 cents for every dollar men earn. By some estimates women could lose between $500,000 and $1 million over a 40-year career. In higher-paying fields, such as law, the wage gap can result in even greater lifetime losses. AAUW's report Behind the Pay Gap controlled for factors known to affect earnings such as education and training, parenthood, and hours worked and found that college-educated women still earn less than men — despite the same major and occupation as their male counterparts.ii
"What's especially frustrating is that this critical bill became a victim of arcane Senate rules," said Lisa Maatz, AAUW director of public policy and government relations. "This de facto filibuster of fair pay by Senate Republicans ensured that we never got to a debate on the bill's merits. Strategically, I can't blame them — they can't win a fair fight against pay equity."
The Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182/S. 3772) would have updated the landmark Equal Pay Act of 1963 by closing loopholes, strengthening incentives to prevent pay discrimination, and prohibiting retaliation against workers who inquire about employers' wage practices or disclose their own wages.
"If we had just a few more senators voting with the courage of their convictions, we'd be debating this bill rather than writing its epitaph for the 111th Congress," Maatz continued. "While we are deeply troubled by the vote, we know that we'll eventually win this fight. AAUW stands on a rich, century-old tradition of advocacy. Our members are not easily deterred and are deeply proud of our history of accomplishments. AAUW has played a leading role in some of the nation's most important public policy successes in the areas of family friendly workplaces, education, and pay equity."
AAUW is widely credited with keeping pay equity on the nation's radar. Behind the Pay Gap redefined the debate on pay equity and reenergized the drive to pass needed pay equity legislation. This leadership helped to set the stage for the adoption of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in January 2009, the first bill signed into law by President Barack Obama.
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AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Since 1881, AAUW has been one of the nation's leading voices promoting education and equity for women and girls. AAUW has a nationwide network of more than 100,000 members and donors, 1,000 branches, and 500 college/university institutional partners. Since AAUW's founding more than 129 years ago, members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political. AAUW's commitment to educational equity is reflected in its public policy advocacy, community programs, leadership development, conventions and conferences, national partnerships, and international connections.
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Comments
William E. Gladstone
Would you continue to deny justice by denying equal pay for equal work? Well, your representatives might have just done that for you. What are you going to do about it?
Rated with hugs
stop the advance of the 451s
Elijah: Sounds like you have chosen someone very good to write about. I hope that we can take some courage from her great dedication.
Fay: Yes, I could kick the pants of every sarcastic stupid person who said it was not worth voting in this mid term. I really mean, one of them made the cover of OS with her drivel. Must be self employed is all I can say.
Fusun: Yes, everytime I see this this and stupid shows like Sister wives and all other kinds of things where women are clearly being used and made to feel less in some way, whether they can see it themselves or not, I think of all the women who did not think we were smart enough to vote. I think of them as mothers, sending their sons and daughters out there with that idea and socializing them to the process that one sex is better than the other and therefore they cannot be equal. I am very tired of it all.
Veronica: Yes, my area is full of people who think this way too. In fact once at a book signing for Madeline Albright, a woman asked me why I lived where I did, I clearly did not belong there. I thought about it a lot. When I finally answered, I said someone has to be the agent of change. I did what I could in those years, and now I just ignore it, I have been kind of used up so to speak.
Sophieh: I had such hopes back in the 70's. I had such a different image of how the world was and what my role in it was. I do see that some women made it their own and did some amazing things. I never did become the first woman president as someone suggested in my high school yearbook....imagine my disappointment....well, I was hoping one of would make it. I thought there would be a better world for my daughter, and now I see she will meet some of the same challenges and even some that I thought we had actually done away with. It almost seems to be two groups of people, and I am in the losing group. I am female, big strike against, I am progressive another big strike, I am not rich...and that my friends seems to be the biggest strike of all, oh, and a million is not rich. Trust me. They burn through that in a couple of commercials...no, we have to readjust our sights. Thanks for visiting...
Catherine: Yes, depressing. I have felt that we are drowning with all of this backwards travel.