by Calvin Lovick
The inequity between men’s and women’s salaries has been discussed for years, though little has been done in America to eradicate the problem. Republican presidential hopeful
Donald Trump has renewed public interest in the debate, claiming to pay his female executives as much and in some cases more than he pays his male executives. But even if Trump does pay his female employees well, the bottom line is most women aren’t working for billionaires who can afford to pay them hefty salaries, and women’s pay continues lagging behind that of their male counterparts. “This country has a long history of mistreating women when it comes to salaries,” said Carmen, a social worker in Greensboro, N.C., who asked that her last name not be used. “It’s no secret that a woman can do the same job as a man, and even perform better than he does, but still be paid considerably less. It’s a problem that has long existed in this country, and though many political about it, nothing much seems to be done about it.” Indeed. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 required that “men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for equal work.” But in the five decades since its passing, United States wages have not lived up to that. When President Barack Obama took office in 2009, the first bill he signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which extended the time period in which claimants can bring pay discrimination claims, enabling countless victims of pay discrimination to seek redress where they otherwise could not.
Even so, women are still paid less than their male colleagues, and this has become an increasingly big problem given the number of women in today’s workforce. In many American households, women are the breadwinners, but their pay still lags behind that of men.The American Association of University Women, or AAUW, was founded in 1881 to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research.
According to AAUW, in 2013 among full-time, year-round workers, women were paid 78 percent of what men were paid. The pay gap exists in every state, AAUW says, but is more profound in some areas of the country than others. For example, information on AAUW’s website says the best place in the United States for pay equity is the nation’s capital, where women were paid 91 percent of what men were paid in 2013. By contrast, the website lists the worst state in the country for pay equity as Louisiana, where women were paid only 66 percent of what men were paid.
And it should come as no surprise that for women of color, the gaps are even worse. According to AAUW statistics, Hispanic women’s salaries show the largest gap, at 54 percent of white men’s earnings, compared to 64 percent for black women. AAUW uses white men’s salaries as the benchmark because they comprise the largest demographic group in the labor force.
So, while Trump continues to claim he pays his female employees well, the reality is most women in the U.S. aren’t paid fairly. And unless laws are passed – and enforced – that pay inequality will likely continue.would need to earn a salary of $47,744 per year before taxes of $6,332, which would bring his/her yearly take-home pay to $41,412. Hardly the rich.
Based on the minimum wage hourly increase to $10.00, beginning on Jan. 1, 2016, for a full-time sole bread winner working 40 hours per week, the weekly earnings is $400.00, or $1,600 per month. That’s just $19, 200 per year, slightly above the poverty level. A family of four would need to earn a living wage of $22.95 an hour — double the minimum wage of January 16, still more than a year away.
A true living wage for full-time wage earners would, in the long run, be good for the economy, and for all Americans willing to get out of the bed each day to go to work to provide for their families.
Best regards,
Calvin
