Economic equity news is a weekly round-up of articles by Donna Seymour of AAUW-NYS that features our core values of poverty solutions, opportunity and access, workplace fairness, healthy lives, equal pay and representation at all tables. Sign up for our mailing list to receive this directly to your inbox.
Access to paid sick time is essential so women can both earn equal pay and thrive on par with men in the workplace. While male and female workers are about equally likely to have access to paid sick time, women may pay a higher cost than men when they lack this access. Although the balance has been shifting, child care responsibilities in our country are still very much split along gender lines.
A look at the hard evidence shows us that women still have a long way to go in leveling the political field — and it’s been a slow progressive crawl to begin with. Although women make up a little over 50% of the United States’ population, in 1999 they peaked at about 27.6% in statewide elective offices (like governor), according to research by Rutgers University. In 2015, that measurement is at 24.7%, and the stats for females in Congress or the Senate are even lower. The rates are even worse for women of color.
- How Intel Eliminated Its Own Gender Pay Gap via ThinkProgress
Every year, tech giant Intel analyzes its employee compensation by gender and ethnicity. But in 2015, it decided to really dig in and answer the question: Do we have a gender wage gap among men and women doing essentially the same work?
- Passing Paid Family Leave, Assembly Dems Stake Out Position via NY State of Politics
The Democratic-led Assembly last Tuesday approved legislation aimed at providing up to 12 weeks of paid leave to workers — a measure that would have to be reconciled with the proposal backed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The Assembly bill approved by a wide margin Tuesday afternoon would be paid for with an expansion of the temporary disability insurance fund, while the governor’s initial plan would require a $1 deduction from an employee’s paycheck once full phased in.
Emily Martin created a state-by-state map of the gender wage gap in the United States. She calculated: Washington, D.C., has the smallest wage gap where women average nearly 90 cents to a man’s dollar; Louisiana has the largest gap — women there earn just 65 percent of what men do. There are lots of reasons for the gender gap, but Martin says a stubborn, small part is still discrimination.
Donna Seymour, who hails from the (far upstate) North Country of NYS, has spent 40 plus years advocating for children, women and family issues, equity, sustainability, and social justice issues. Currently serving as the Public Policy VP for AAUW-NYS (the American Association University Women), she is also a member the League of Women Voters, the Equal Pay Coalition, PTA, NOW, and Planned Parenthood, just to name a few.