What’s Important About Equal Pay in Pennsylvania? (#fairpay)

By MB -


  • If you are a working woman living in Pennsylvania, chances are that you earn 75% of what men earn. (NWLC data)
  • In the United States, working women earn 22% less then men each year (National Committee on Pay Equity).
  • At one year out of college, women already earn just 80% of what their male colleagues earn (Behind the Pay Gap, AAUW)
  • About $200 billion is lost each year because of the pay disparity between men and women. (National Committee on Pay Equity)
  • The worsening Pennsylvania pay divide cannot be attributed to education, as Pennsylvania women in the workforce have now surpassed their male counterparts in educational achievements.

Pay equity is a pressing issue for women in our state. A recent report by the Keystone Research Center documented the shocking fact that the gender wage gap in Pennsylvania actually widened between 2003 and 2007. Moreover, 3 out of 10 Pennsylvania women today are low-income, compared to only 2 out of every 10 men.

Pennsylvanians need new policy initiatives like the Paycheck Fairness Act to identify and root out the institutional biases that are increasingly putting the economic security of women and their families in peril. PFA would close certain loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and would ask government agencies to spend more time and resources on ending pay inequity. Both of Pennsylvania’s senators are key contacts regarding this bill. We have linked a sample letter to send to Senator Casey and to Senator Specter. As part of your actions to recognize Equal Pay Day, please send letters to the Senators reminding them of the need for pay equity in the US.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PathWays PA E-Newsletter: August 6, 2012

By -
Image
Federal Policy Updates  CONGRESS IN AGREEMENT TO WORK ON A 6-MONTH CONTINUING RESOLUTION Last week House and Senate leaders announced that a deal has been reached to pass a 6-month continuing resolution to fund the federal government through next spring. Details of the agreement have not yet been made public, but the continuing resolution will reportedly fund federal agencies at current spending levels. With both chambers of Congress on summer recess, a vote on the agreement will likely be held in September, before the end of the fiscal year. If this agreement is enacted it will ensure that the government will not be shutdown at the end of September when the current spending plan ends. HELP MOVE THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT FORWARD The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) needs to be reauthorized to ensure the continuation of vital, life-saving programs and laws. It was the first piece of American legislation that recognized the pervasive nature of domestic violence,
Read more

Mini-Budget Update-Supporting the American Community Survey

By MB -
Image
(via The Census Project ) Next Tuesday, June 19 is an important date to mark on your calendar. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee is holding a public hearing on the economic impact of eliminating the American Community Survey (ACS) at 2:30 p.m., in Room 210 of the Canon House Office Building. Witnesses that will be speaking in opposition to the move to eliminate the ACS are Vincent Barabba, former director of the Census Bureau in two GOP administrations and Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Association of General Contractors and also representing the National Association of Business Economists. It is very important that we pack the congressional hearing room! If you cannot come, please urge your colleages to come. If you represent a non-DC organization contact your friends in Washington and urge them to attend. Also on Tuesday of next week some of our congressional supporters will be holding a noon press conference in the so-called House Triangle right outside the Cap
Read more

Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania

By -
Image
Census data tells us that 13% of Pennsylvania households live in poverty. In reality, even more households don’t have the income they need to reach self-sufficiency. One in four Pennsylvania households – over 846,000 – lack enough income to cover just the necessities. Since 1997, PathWays PA has worked with Dr. Diana Pearce and the University of Washington to calculate  The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania . Over the last 23 years,  The Self-Sufficiency Standard of Pennsylvania  has documented the continuing increase in the real cost of living, illuminating the economic crunch experienced by so many families today. Since 2010, PathWays PA and the University of Washington have also issued three versions of the  Overlooked and Undercounted  report, which looks at the number of households living above and below self-sufficiency. You can now use the interactive materials below to find out what it takes to be self-sufficient in your county. Click here  to read the 2020 O
Read more