This year, Equal Pay Day fell between two major national news stories — the swine flu outbreak and Obama’s 100th day in office. Fortunately, the issue of pay equity didn’t fall off the media’s radar screen, as economic issues remain a top concern among Americans. Here is a news roundup of Equal Pay Day through the AAUW media lens:
- AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman appeared in a Fox News report on the wage gap and was quoted in an article in DiversityInc magazine entitled “Why Are Women Still Earning Less than Men?“
- Hallman and Laura Wimmer, AAUW of Virginia co-president, urge Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb (D-VA) to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182) in an op-ed that appears in today’s Richmond Times-Dispatch.
- Lisa Maatz, AAUW’s director of public policy, offered expert testimony before the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), was quoted in the sHERO blog article “What Would You Do with an Extra $434,000?,” and appeared on an Equal Pay Day panel discussion at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
- Catherine Hill, AAUW director of research, is featured in a Detroit Free Press article, “Pay Equity Day Is a Reminder for Women to Get Fair Share,” that highlights AAUW’s new wage gap data and our groundbreaking research report Behind the Pay Gap.
- AAUW’s new wage gap figures are highlighted in Women’s eNews (“Wage Gap Study Arrives in Time for Equal Pay Day“), HR.BLR.com (“10 Best and Worst States for Pay Equity“), The Honolulu Advertiser (“Hawaii No. 2 for Narrowest Wage Gap among College-Educated Men, Women“), Shreveport Times (“Study Shows La. Has Widest Pay Gap among Sexes, Bill Seeks to Equalize“), Campus Progress (“Three-Fourths of a Paycheck“), Pacific Business News (“Report: Hawaii 2nd in Men-Women Pay Disparity“), Maine’s Women Lobby (“Equal Pay Day Number Two“), The University Daily Kansan (“Students Celebrate Equal Pay Day“), The Winchester Star (Sen. Jehlen and Fellow Legislators Rally for Female Pay Equity) and the Baton Rouge Business Report “Big Gender Gap in Louisiana Salaries.”)
- AAUW members, staffers, and supporters of our mission contributed timely blog posts, such as “Overeducated, Underpaid,” by Linda Brodsky; “See Red, Be Red for Equal Pay Day,” by Gloria Feldt; “Fighting for Equal Pay,” by Lecia Imbrey; “Skating Toward Wage Disparity,” by Christy Jones; “Equal Pay for Equal Work,” by Catherine Hill; and “Get Ready for Equal Pay Day,” by yours truly.
- The AAUW Kingston (NY) Branch last night hosted a discussion on how the pay gap affects women at various stages of their lives. The AAUW Salem (OR) Branch sponsored a discussion about pay equity between men and women at the state capitol. AAUW members in Louisiana participated in yesterday’s lobbying session at the state capitol in Baton Rouge. The AAUW Fayetteville (AR) Branch co-sponsored an Equal Pay Day press conference. AAUW Jefferson County (NY) Branch collected signatures for the “Fair Pay Bill.” The public policy chair of the AAUW Cookeville (TN) Branch talked about ways to close the wage gap. AAUW members in Oregon made cookies with a bite missing to signify the bite from paychecks caused by gender discrimination. Click here to see the video. (This is just a sampling of the local news stories about AAUW Equal Pay Day activities.)
- In an opinion piece for The Coloradoan, J. Raquel Adrian, public policy chair of the AAUW Fort Collins (CO) Branch, says employers can help improve morale, worker retention, and competitiveness by eliminating pay differentials. In her letter to the editor, Patricia A. Johnson – president of the AAUW Huntsville (AL) Branch – wrote: “if single working women were paid as much as men, their families would have 17 percent more income per year, cutting the poverty rate in half.” In her letter to the editor, Jennifer Kern – AAUW of Vermont member leader- said pay equity is more critical not only to family economic security but also to our country’s economic recovery.
- AAUW’s Equal Pay Day activities and alink to AAUW’s new YouTube video featuring Linda Hallman are highlighted by the Association for Women in Science of Connecticut.
- “A Blog of Our Own” and an article about unequal pay in the Spectrum sent visitors to aauw.org for more information about Equal Pay Day.
