April 22 is the day that symbolizes when women workers finally "get out of the red" and their 2007-2008 earnings finally equal men's earnings from last year alone.
Why do women work an extra 113 days to keep pace with men? Because full-time Michigan women workers are paid an average of 67 cents for every $1 men are paid. According to statistics furnished by the Michigan Women's Commission, the women of Grand Traverse County fall even further behind than the average Michigan woman. The median income for Grand Traverse Co. women is $24,139, compared to $30,700 for the state median woman's wage.
Pay equity establishes that people doing the same jobs will receive the same pay regardless of sex or race. Who does pay equity affect? The whole family is affected by missing out on crucial income. Women beginning careers are losing income to put toward retirement and investments. Older women experiencing decades of pay inequity are now struggling to handle the rising cost of living on smaller savings and fewer investments.
According to the American Association of University Women study "Behind the Pay Gap," pay equity also affects college graduates. The study found that women earn only 80 percent of what men earn just one year after college. Even in a level playing field where women made the same choices of fields of study and occupation as men, the women earned less. Women fall further behind, dropping to only 69 percent of men's earnings over a 10-year period.
AAUW also found that after controlling for factors known to affect earnings, a 5 percent difference in earnings of male and female college graduates remains unexplained and is likely due to discrimination.
To counteract this wage gap, it must be recognized publicly.
Too often, both men and women dismiss the wage gap as no longer existing, but the progress made in the 1970s has slowed and the discrimination is still there despite the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Pay Act.
Our concerns must be communicated to our legislators, since existing laws have failed to end the bias women face at work. AAUW advocates for stronger steps to address this situation.
AAUW encourages the public to contact their legislators to pass the federal Paycheck Fairness Act (S.766/HR1388). This bill would provide additional tools in the struggle for equal pay.
Pay equity will continue as an AAUW legislative priority. The Grand Traverse branch of AAUW is committed to working toward an end to the wage gap.
About the author: Nadine Dolan is public policy chair for the Grand Traverse branch of the American Association of University Women, which is made up of 80 women from Antrim, Benzie, Leelanau, and Grand Traverse counties.
About the forum: The forum is a periodic column of opinion written by Record-Eagle readers in their areas of interest or expertise. Submissions of 500 words or less may be made by e-mailing letters@record-eagle.com. Please include biographical information and a photo.
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