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April 22: Equal Pay Day
Tuesday, April 22 is Equal Pay Day. This is the annual symbolic day on which women's average wages catch up to men's from the previous year. The Census Bureau reports that, on average, a woman earns 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man; the numbers are even worse for women of color. For the average woman's salary to equal that of a man in 2007, she would have had to work from Jan. 1, 2007, until April 22, 2008.
More than 40 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, the pay gap is still alive and strong, making these lingering disparities even more disturbing. See what the pay gap for college-educated women is in your state.
The U.S. Senate will recognize Equal Pay Day by voting this week on the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831). The legislation was introduced in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year in the Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company case, which severely limited the ability of victims of pay discrimination to have their day in court. This bill clarifies that each discriminatory paycheck is, in fact, another act of discrimination and, in doing so, it restores the law to how it was previously applied by the courts and the EEOC. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, in her dissenting opinion, specifically encouraged Congress to pass legislation similar to this.
Now you can show your senators that you are the face of pay equity by uploading a picture of yourself and sending an email to your senators urging them to support the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Send a strong signal to your senators that, as we approach Equal Pay Day, pay discrimination will not be tolerated. Then, find activities that you can do to promote pay equity throughout the year. You can also call your senators this week to urge them to vote in support of the bill, and you can encourage your friends and family to spread the word by sending them an e-card.
I believe that pay equity is a simple matter of justice. Equal pay for equal work — makes sense, right?
How will you mark Equal Pay Day? What else do you think women can do to make sure we're getting paid equally?
Lecia Imbery is the Grassroots Coordinator of Public Policy and Government Relations at the American Association of University Women.
Topics: politics, election 2008, president, candidates More
Are Women Getting Paid as Much as Men?
Presidential hopefuls Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama are campaigning across Pennsylvania on the eve of the primary, attempting to convince Pennsylvanians that they'll stem job loss if they're elected.
But Faye Wattleton, President of the Center for the Advancement of Women, questions why they've neglected to push forward the Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act that sits languishing in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, on which they both serve. The Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act would serve to protect women against pay discrimination in the workplace. You can read more about her position in her blog post, "The Democracy, Economic Justice, and Pay Equality."
This election year, how important to you is the issue of equal pay?
Topics: politics, election 2008, president, candidates More
Will Celebrities and Fashion Influence Your Vote?
In the past few years, celebrities have become more and more involved in politics (hello, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Angelina Jolie!), but with the presidential election fast approaching, I've noticed the trend has really gained momentum recently. Case in point: Will.I.Am's star-studded "Yes We Can" video featuring the likes of Jessica Alba, Kate Walsh and Scarlett Johansson. Plus, the paparazzi have even taken to following the stars as they hit their local polls (see Jennifer Garner, right). And it's not just celebrities: Fashion designers are bringing political clothing and jewelry to the masses. In fact, everyone from Halle Berry to both past and present Reese Witherspoon flames Ryan Phillippe and Jake Gyllenhaal have been sporting Barack Obama tees (not to be outdone by Marc Jacobs' latest shirt supporting Hillary Clinton). And check out this chic Helen Ficalora necklace I found that simply says "Vote."
Don't get me wrong: I'm all for politically minded fashion, especially when it's affordable to the general population. But does making the election "trendy" take away from the ultimate message behind it — that we should be voting because it's our right and our duty to choose the president we think will best lead our country?
Personally, I love that stars and designers are getting involved and campaigning for different candidates. (You can see some of them and their candidates of choice here in our gallery.) If they can show our celebrity-obsessed population (and yes, I'm a part of that demographic!) that voting and being aware of what goes on in the world is cool, then they have my support.
But don't worry about my vote. It's not going to the subject of the coolest T-shirt or the one who gets the most celebrity endorsements. I'm voting for the man or woman I believe will steer this country in the right direction, and I hope the rest of America will vote that way, too.
What do you think: Do celebrities or the latest fashions have any influence on your vote? Do you think they influence our youngest voters? Will they make any difference in the upcoming election?
Topics: celebrities, halle berry, hillary clinton, ryan phillippe More
Does the War Affect Women Disproportionately?
On the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Sara K. Gould, President and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women, calls on the candidates, politicians and pundits to address the disproportionate impact of the war on women, low-income people and youth at home and abroad, and to include their perspectives into policy-making decisions, campaign platforms and news coverage in 2008 and beyond.
Check out her post (http://ignitingchange08.blogspot.com/2008/03/five-years-and-counting-call-to-pundits.html) and tell us what you think.
What kind of an effect do you think the war has had on women — at home and abroad?
Topics: voting, election 2008, president, candidates More
Why Aren't Women Uniting?
I've been talking to women of many different generations about the current election, and although our perspectives vary, everyone agrees on the importance of this election for women. For the first time in history, a woman is a viable candidate for the presidency; it is also the first time a black man has the chance to win the presidency. This type of progress — long overdue — brings a different type of enthusiasm and excitement to potential voters. We have the opportunity to vote not just for a candidate whose platform we agree with, or someone we respect, but a person with whom we can identify.
This election shows the gaps between younger and older women in our attitudes toward the candidates. Polling data shows that younger women vote primarily for Obama, while Boomers tend to vote for Hillary. I think this reflects some very large differences between our mothers' and grandmothers' experiences and those of our own. While nearly all women see how incredible it is that a woman is actually a viable presidential candidate, younger women — who may never have experienced overt sexism and have had powerful political role models — don't seem to vote based on gender. As a twenty-something, I have been fortunate to never have experienced discrimination in my life thus far. I have never been kept from achieving something because of my gender; I study feminism in history courses, and I know I benefit from battles women fought before me.
Obviously, there are many reasons for the split in generational voting, but I think one of the reasons not being discussed is the ways women's roles in politics have changed in the last twenty years. We now have powerful, albeit few, female political role models. The Speaker of the House and the Secretary of State, two of the highest positions in government, are currently held by impressive women. On the other hand, my grandmother remembers a very different time, when the closest a woman got to being the president was by marrying him. The ground Clinton is breaking in this election cycle resonates with that view. So why isn't the entire female vote supporting her?
Ultimately, I think this is a positive development: We can appreciate the progress women have made since my grandmother was young (which wasn't THAT long ago she would want me to mention!) yet vote based on particular issues and platforms other than gender.
What do you think: Why do you think the generations are split on this year's candidates? Would we have more power as women and for "women's issues" if we all united behind one candidate?
Kristen Molloy is from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. She is currently a senior at Northwestern University, majoring in American Studies and History.
[Photos from top by Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images; Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images; Mario Tama/Getty Images]
Topics: politics, voting, election 2008, president, candidates More
The People's Election
When I think about this country, I think about the people. I think about the people who work and the people who live and celebrate and raise children. I think about regular people who go to work every day, who buy food for their families and try to save for a rainy day. These are the people who make up our country in my mind. They strive for a little more each day and, like my parents, hope for a better tomorrow for their children. I hope this too.
Our country was built by silversmiths, teachers, lawyers, and farmers. It was built by ironworkers, coalminers and service people. People — not business, not special interests and not lobbyists — built our country. This is what drives me to participate in our process, the desire to bring our government back to the people. I do not think that our candidates or our government should be bought and paid for. It is already paid for by our tax dollars.
We need policies that protect people and wages, not business and profits. We need people in our government who are focused on the people who do the living and dying and buying and working in this country — you know, the masses. We need a new direction in America, one that thinks about the common good and not Wall Street's bottom line. We have real issues we can impact in this country. Issues like poverty and hunger. Issues like quality, affordable education. Issues like war. We can impact these things to make life incrementally better for all, not the privileged few.
In this election, I am participating with a renewed vigor; the time is now, we must come together as a nation to reverse our current course and take on the challenges of poverty, education and war. In the richest country in the world, we should not have hungry children. There should not be a phrase "working poor." This is not the course I want my son to inherit.
And if I don't get out on this rainy, stormy, cold Ohio day and participate, what will I tell my child when corporate America continues to gouge the people on fuel, milk, vegetables and meat. How will I explain that I stood idly by and saw our country wage wars for profit and neglect our own people, infrastructure and safety. I cannot; can you?
What will you tell your children about this clear turning point in our national story? How will you do your part to change the future for them?
Tracey Parsons, a long-time online marketing executive, has been married for 13 nearly perfect years and now has a toddler. She is still madly in love with her husband and completely smitten with her little boy. She has also lived in six states and is an avid runner.
Topics: politics, voting, election 2008, president, candidates More
The Platform of Change and the Dangers of Disillusionment
As the primaries continue and the election frenzy of the spring and summer rapidly approaches, many of us begin to think about ourselves not just as politically active individuals but also as members of specific interest groups. As a twentysomething college woman, I am constantly reminded — by politicians and pollsters alike — that I am a member of the "youth vote." And in this election cycle young women could be the deciding factor in the direction this nation takes (women are a majority of our age group, after all!).
The "big issues" this time around — the war in Iraq, immigration, health care, education, gay marriage — are all being equated with the larger concept of change. Candidates are appealing to our generation more than ever and campaigning on this platform of change. Whether the slogans used are "Change We Can Believe In" or "Hillblazers: Youth for Hillary," the sentiment remains the same.
Do we need change? Absolutely. As a young woman I feel a responsibility to be a part of that change. For the first time in a long time, the youth vote could actually make a difference in the election; it is certainly making a difference in the way the election is being discussed and covered. The New York Times, among other news sources, notes the fervor among young people surrounding the candidates. And according to campaign websites, when you sign on to support a candidate today, you are joining a "movement" (in the case of Senator Obama) or becoming a "Hillblazer" (for Senator Clinton).
Change is a great thing if it inspires people to get involved. (Maintaining the status quo rarely incites passion in people, after all.) But at the end of the day, it's a difficult position to maintain. We need to realize, as young female voters, that change is a slow process. The youth vote cannot cut and run from a candidate when he or she is forced to conform to post-election political realities in Washington. What happens when a candidate who ran on a platform of change has to compromise for the first time? Without keeping our end goals in sight, there is a real danger of disillusionment. Making informed choices based on the essentials is what is important this time around — that way, we will not be disappointed when change comes more slowly than we hoped. We need to make informed political choices on the positions that matter to us and understand that becoming part of the political process is not just about winning elections, but becoming informed about democracy.
We need to show D.C. that the youth vote is not just hype, that we don't understand politics only through the Facebook groups we are members of, and that the depth of our convictions goes beyond campaign slogans. That way we can actually impact what happens after next November.
How do we sustain this momentum after the election? How do we define ourselves as young women voters?
Kristen Molloy is from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. She is currently a senior at Northwestern University, majoring in American Studies and History.
[Photo by J.D. Pooley/Getty Images]
Topics: politics, hillary clinton, election 2008, election More
Why I Believe In Health Care For All
In our current health-care system, a woman who is working two part-time jobs may not have the chance to receive proper care if she is sick but doesn't have health insurance. And even if she does, there is a good chance that her insurance plan won't fully cover her needs. In a democracy like the United States, should getting medical attention when it is due be a privilege of the wealthy? Absolutely not!
I feel that the most relevant issue in this upcoming election is the issue of universal health care. In so many places in the world health care is a nonissue. Citizens in Canada, France and the United Kingdom can focus on their health rather than focus on how they are going to pay to stay healthy! In the United States issues of health care have become issues of business, not well-being.
Why should only those who can afford reliable health insurance or those who have jobs that provide it have the chance to take care of themselves?
In the United States we are behind on this issue. To get ourselves back on track in the progressive world, we have to acknowledge that everyone deserves a fair opportunity to receive medical care — regardless of age, race, sexual orientation or class.
The key to making universal health care a reality is to get rid of the relationship between business and health care. The government should understand health care as a universal right, and not an investment that can go sour with a bum insurance plan. Our health shouldn't be gambled with. We need and deserve more than that, and, in truth, our government can provide it with some relatively minor alterations.
I am pleased that health care is getting some well-deserved attention. I hope that in this upcoming election, along with a new president we get a real shot at changing the health-care industry to insure that men, women and children can focus on their health and not its costs!
As women, how do we make sure we are covered when we need a mammogram, a gynecological visit, a lifesaving surgery or just a simple checkup?
Rebecca Abramowitz was born in Los Angeles. She moved to New York in Septemeber 2004 to attend NYU’s Gallatin school. She will graduate in May of 2008 with a degree in American Cultural Studies and Communications.
Topics: health, voting, election 2008, president, candidates More
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