As we mark Equal Pay Day today, we’d like to think that women and men all across the country are joining in our fight for pay equity. And while we know that there are many activities taking place to highlight the fact that women continue to earn only 78 cent s on average for every dollar men earn, we also know that there are those who think we should abandon the fight. In these tough economic times, there are those who say that women who are “complaining” about their smaller paychecks are lucky to have a job at all and that we can’t afford a pay equity bill now. They say we need to focus on the recession — and only the recession.
What these naysayers aren’t seeing is that in these tough economic times, pay equity is even more critical than ever. As the recession continues, women are poised to become the majority of the American workforce for the first time ever. Consequently, women are increasingly becoming the sole breadwinners for their families — making pay equity not just a matter of simple fairness, but the key to families making ends meet. And families that can make ends meet are key to our nation’s economic recovery.
For decades now, American families have increasingly relied on women’s wages to survive and thrive. From 1980 to 2006, women’s income as a share of total family income rose from 26.7 percent to 35.6 percent. And with the current economic recession and the number of layoffs facing men, this trend will continue. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law in February, is intended to save or create 3.5 million jobs over the next two years. According to a White House report, an estimated 42 percent of the jobs created — nearly 1.5 million — are likely to go to women. The recovery package clearly is counting on women to play a leading role in bringing us out of economic recession, and their ability to do so is strengthened considerably when their paychecks are a fair reflection of their work.
That’s why, now more than ever, we need the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182/H.R. 12). Its comprehensive approach to updating the Equal Pay Act of 1963 will help create an environment where women will receive the fair compensation that they deserve and that their families — and our economy as a whole — need. The Paycheck Fairness Act will not only enhance women’s civil rights protections but also protect the job-creating capacity of small businesses. That’s why, in addition to AAUW, organizations like Business and Professional Women/USA and the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce support this legislation, too.
Empowering women is one investment that always pays long-term dividends, not only for the women themselves but for their families and the entire nation as well. It is critical that these tough economic times aren’t used as an excuse to roll back the hard-fought gains women have made.
