Women are now half of the paid labor force in our nation for the first time ever. The labor of working women is increasingly essential to their family’s economic security, and is now also critical to the overall economic health of the United States. However, the public and private policies that affect parenting and the workplace have remained largely unchanged during this massive societal shift. As a result, families are reeling and parents of all socioeconomic backgrounds are struggling to earn enough and keep their families healthy.
The wage gap between mothers and non-mothers is greater than between women and men — and it’s actually getting bigger. Non-mothers earn 10 percent less than their male counterparts; mothers earn 27 percent less; and single mothers earn between 34 percent and 44 percent less. The wage gap is a direct reflection of bias against working mothers. This bias, in part, is because we don’t have family friendly policies to support the needs of working mothers and families like flexible work options, paid family leave, and accessible childcare.
No longer should mothers be making 77 cents to a man’s dollar. No longer should equally qualified women be paid less for the same job as a man. That’s why it’s absolutely essential that we, as a nation, make family economic security issues like pay equity a priority!
The Paycheck Fairness Act is a much needed update of the 46-year-old Equal Pay Act. It’s a comprehensive bill that would create stronger incentives for employers to follow the law, empower women to negotiate for equal pay, and strengthen federal outreach, education, and enforcement efforts. The bill would also deter wage discrimination by strengthening penalties for equal pay violations and by prohibiting retaliation against workers who ask about employers’ wage practices or disclose their own wages.
It's absolutely essential that we, as a nation, address family economic security issues like pay equity front and center. Women are now half of the paid labor force in our nation for the first time ever. The labor of working women is increasingly essential to their family's economic security, and is now also critical to the overall economic health of the United States. However, the public and private policies that affect parenting and the workplace have remained largely unchanged during this massive societal shift. As a result, families are reeling and parents of all socioeconomic backgrounds are struggling to earn enough and keep their families healthy.
Check out this Blunt Video for Equal Pay Day, which features an appearance by MomsRising staffer Ariana Kelly and her daughter Maeve. Find out what women are saying about the Paycheck Fairness Act, and why it's so important for the Senate to pass it right away!
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, has kicked up all sorts of controversy with her argument that career women can be their own worst enemy and should “lean in” more to their jobs and their ambitions. But the biggest, largely unspoken problem is not that she is elitist, or placing blame in the wrong place. [...]
It’s time to celebrate! Here’s a fun and free way to celebrate Mother’s Day! Check out MomsRising’s Mother’s Day video you can customize and send your mom (or to yourself!). Check it out here: http://momdance.com Every year, MomsRising comes up with a creative way to tell Mom she’s the best. This year, the inspiration came [...]
This week, Martha Roby (R-AL) will introduce the same discredited comp time bill that leaders in her party have been pushing for years. Misleadingly titled “The Working Families Flexibility Act,” HR 1406 would permit private sector employers to offer compensation time in lieu of overtime pay to their hourly work force. At first glance the [...]
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