Mother’s Day is just a few days away — the card aisle in every drugstore in America is packed with pink, flowery cards; florists are already starting to make their deliveries; and phone companies are gearing up for one of the busiest days of the year.
Since my mom lives in the suburbs of Chicago, and I live in Washington, D.C., I’ve already ordered her flowers and mailed her a card, and I’ll be sure to call her on Sunday. But in addition to the old standby gifts, there are two other gifts I want to give my mom this year: video stardom and equal pay — in other words, fame and fortune.
First, the fame. This year, AAUW partnered with our friends at MomsRising.org to bring our members a great Mother’s Day video that they can customize and send to their moms and all the moms they know. Each mom you send the video to will see her name appear in a faux news story about winning the “Mother of the Decade” award and will be lauded by Michelle Obama and Hollywood celebrities. My mom’s not much of a techie, so I know she’ll be surprised and get a big kick out of this short, funny video that celebrates her and the achievements of mothers everywhere. I’m planning to send the video to my sister and all my mom friends, too.
Customize and send a great Mother’s Day video to your mom — and all the moms you know!
While the video is fun, it also sends a serious message. If you pay attention to the ticker scrolling across the bottom of the screen, you’ll see that it also seeks to educate folks about important economic issues facing women. And here’s where the fortune comes into my mom’s gift.
If I could, what I’d really like to give my mom is pay equity. Imagine how happy she’d be when she opened my gift — a giant check for $10,622, the gap between the median yearly earnings of men and those of women. Just think of all the things she could do with this! From paying for groceries and health care to investing in an education and saving for retirement, equal pay is the best gift that you can give the women in your life. That’s why my second gift to my mom will be urging the Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.
By supporting the Paycheck Fairness Act, I’ll also be giving your mom — and everyone’s mom — the gift of workplace fairness. Mom deserves the right to ask about her employer’s wage practices and discuss her wages with coworkers without the fear of being fired. In addition, through this legislation, I’ll give her the tools she needs to negotiate for fair pay and the protection of stronger federal enforcement efforts. As her economic security throughout her lifespan is largely determined by her earnings, this truly is the gift that keeps on giving.
Fame and fortune in the forms of video stardom and pay equity — I can’t think of anything better to give all of our moms and all of the women in our lives this year. To all of the mothers out there, Happy Mother’s Day!
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Thanks so much for sharing the video here! Much appreciated!
Anita, MomsRising.org