Updated March 7, 2010
The US Department of Labor Women's Bureau will hold a March 15th webinar entitled "Why is Green Good for Women," the first in their green jobs webinar series. The webinar will take place from 12:00-1:30 pm EST. Registration will soon be available on the website and via email.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for March 5, 2010.
On Tuesday, President Obama signed an extension of unemployment and COBRA health care benefits, allowing those involuntarily terminated from their jobs to have an additional month to qualify for access. The extension was easily passed in the House last week, but had been held up in the Senate by lone Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY), who insisted the $10 billion bill not be added to the federal deficit. With the current extension lasting only thirty days and the looming threat of millions of unemployed Americans losing coverage, the Senate will now work to pass legislation extending the benefits through the end of the year.
AAUW supports this extension of unemployment compensation and COBRA subsidy benefits to help millions of Americans facing financial hardship.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for March 5, 2010.
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions has publicly announced its hearing on Pay Equity, including discussion on the Paycheck Fairness Act (S.182). The hearing, entitled "A Fair Share for All: Pay Equity in the New American Workplace," will be held on Thursday, March 11 at 10:00am in Dirksen 430.
As part of our efforts to draw attention to this critical legislation, AAUW will live-blog the hearing, providing a minute-by-minute account of the proceedings. AAUW members and other interested persons may access the live-blog page on our website to sign up for an email reminder, and on the day of the hearing, ask questions and offer comments as part of a community conversation.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for March 5, 2010.
Wal-Mart settled a sex-discrimination lawsuit this week when it was sued for gender-discrimination under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The suit was filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) when it was revealed that a Kentucky distribution center hired predominantly men between 1998-2005. The suit was settled on Monday with Wal-Mart agreeing to pay more than $11.7 billion in back wages and compensatory damages, and to hire female candidates for its next 50 job openings.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for March 5, 2010.
A United Nations labor agency said in a report that inequalities in pay and employment remain for women despite the progress made in certain countries, reported the agency on their Web site. In the International Labor Organization report "Women in labour markets: Measuring progress and indentifying challenges," released March 5, the agency says that "gender biases remain deeply embedded in society and the labor market" even after the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing. "We still find many more women than men taking up low-pay and precarious work, either because this is the only type of job made available to them or because they need to find something that allows them to balance work and family responsibilities. Men do not face these same constraints," said Sara Elder, the author of the report, on the organization's Web site.
On March 11, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will hold a hearing on the Paycheck Fairness Act (S.182). As AAUW members are aware, the Paycheck Fairness Act is a much needed update of the 46-year-old Equal Pay Act. This comprehensive bill - with 37 Senate cosponsors - 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. In short, the bill updates the law to reflect the practices and processes under more recent civil rights laws. Following the enactment of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act last year, passing the Paycheck Fairness Act is a logical next step forward in the fight for pay equity.
As part of our efforts to draw attention to this critical legislation, AAUW will live-blog the hearing, providing a minute-by-minute account of the proceedings. AAUW members and other interested persons may access the live-blog page on our website to sign up for an email reminder, and on the day of the hearing, ask questions and offer comments as part of a community conversation. With millions of Americans still out of work, an unprecedented number of women are now the family breadwinners - making fair pay even more critical, not simply to family economic security but also to the nation's economic recovery. The Paycheck Fairness Act can help to create a climate where wage discrimination is not tolerated, and give the administration the enforcement tools it needs to make real progress on pay equity.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for February 26, 2010.
On Wednesday, the Senate passed a $15 billion jobs bill by a vote of 70-28. The bill, which was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), was a scaled-down version of the original $85 billion jobs bill introduced by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) two weeks ago. Reid's bill included four basic provisions: payroll tax relief for businesses that hire new employees, extensions of the highway trust fund, the "Build America" bond program and expense deductions for small businesses. As the House passed a $154 billion jobs bill last year, many expect this Senate bill to face scrutiny as it moves into the House.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for February 26, 2010.
In an effort to get through leftover Senate business, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is working to extend unemployment benefits and health insurance through December for unemployed Americans. Reid's proposal, in conjunction with Medicaid assistance for struggling state budgets, holds a $100 billion price tag and comes on the heels of the recently passed $15 billion jobs bill. With a February 28 deadline looming and a filibuster on the floor from Sen. Bunning (R-KY), federal unemployment benefits will begin to phase out this weekend. If a compromise is not reached over the weekend, hundreds of thousands will be left without benefits for at least a week.
AAUW promotes the economic, social, and physical well-being of all persons. Essential to that well-being is an economy that provides equitable employment opportunities, family-friendly workplaces, and retirement security for older Americans.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for February 26, 2010.
Recent census data shows that the current economic recession has resulted in more women going back to work, moving from part-time to full-time hours or becoming the household's sole breadwinner. The change is attributed to the fact that men experienced roughly three-quarters of last year's layoffs with an unemployment rate at 10 percent, compared to women's unemployment at 7.9 percent. With this in mind, the newly-formed White House Middle Class Task Force is pushing for its proposals to be heard, like aid for child care and families with elders or disabled persons. It promises to announce more concrete methods for these plans in the months to come.
While AAUW strongly advocates equal employment opportunities, it also works to advance policies that will improve workplaces for employees with family responsibilities of all kinds. Such protections and improvements are critical to breaking through educational and economic barriers for women.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for February 19, 2010.
Idaho's House of Representatives has unanimously passed a bill requiring the state to recognize "Equal Pay Day" each year. The bill was introduced by Rep. Anne Pasley-Stuart (D-Boise) in hopes of bringing attention to the continued wage gap between men and women. The U.S. Department of Labor Statistics data would be used to determine exactly what day will be considered "Equal Pay Day." As a means to demonstrate pay inequity, the day is set to change each year based upon the amount of days it takes a woman to earn as much as a man during the previous year. AAUW of Idaho Vice President for Public Policy Sylvia Chariton helped draft the legislation.
While AAUW celebrates the fact that women have made remarkable strides in the labor force during the past four decades, these gains have yet to translate into full pay equity. Women continue to make on average, just 77 cents on the dollar to their male counterpart.
TAKE ACTION! Fair Pay is even more critical today, not simply to family economic security but also to the nation's economic recovery. Urge your senators to take the next critical step in the fight for pay equity by quickly passing the Paycheck Fairness Act (S.182).
- from AAUW's Washington Update for February 19, 2010.
On Thursday, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) introduced an $85 billion bipartisan jobs bill, immediately shot down by Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Reid, who worried the bill could be used to criticize Democrats in the 2010 elections, then proposed his own smaller, $15 billion bill. Reid's bill included four basic provisions: payroll tax relief for businesses that hire new employees, extensions of the highway trust fund, the "Build America" bond program and expense deductions for small businesses. The Senate will vote on Reid's scaled down version later this month, following the President's Day recess.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for February 12, 2010.
Equal Pay Day is quickly approaching on Tuesday, April 20. Find out how you can get involved with this symbolic day when women's wages catch up to men's wages from the year before. Download our Pay Equity Resource Kit and Equal Pay Day Program in a Box.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for Fenruary 5, 2010.
Today marks the one year anniversary of the enactment of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. As the first piece of legislation signed into law by the new president, it was a proud moment for AAUW members - a reward for all the emails sent, calls made, and visits paid to your members of Congress. Together with the House passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act, we felt we were on the road to fair pay.
But a year later, the Paycheck Fairness Act, the essential companion legislation to the Ledbetter bill, remains stalled in the Senate. What a difference a year almost made for women and their families. But there is good news: thanks to your efforts, the Senate leadership just announced that a Senate committee hearing on the Paycheck Fairness Act will be scheduled in the next few months! This is the next critical step toward getting the bill to the floor for a vote. Even if you have taken action on this issue before, we need your voice now! Urge your senators to cosponsor and move to quickly pass the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182).
As Lilly said a year ago, passing the Ledbetter bill without passing the Paycheck Fairness Act is like giving someone a nail but not a hammer. And data released by the U.S. Census Bureau showed that, in 2008, women continued to earn just 77 cents for each dollar earned by her male counterpart. To read Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis' White House blog post entitled, "Not Just a 'Women's Issue,'" click here.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 29, 2010.
The Pew Research Center released a report Tuesday on the affects that women's advancement on college campuses and in the workforce has had on various aspects of marriage. Women, Men, and the New Economics of Marriage analyzed demographic and economic data and found that more men in 2007, compared with men in 1970, were married to women whose education and income exceeded their own. The report found that, in 2007, 22 percent of men were married to women who made more money that they did, compared to just 4 percent of men in 1970.
While AAUW celebrates the fact that women have made remarkable strides in education and the labor force during the past four decades, these gains have yet to translate into full equity in pay - even for college-educated women who work full time. Women continue to make, on average, just 77 cents on the dollar to their male counterpart. Research released in April 2007 by AAUW shows that just one year out of college, women working full time already earn less than their male colleagues, even when they work in the same field.
The current recession, where job losses have hit men harder than women, is also responsible for propelling the number of women breadwinners to unprecedented numbers. In these tough economic times, when more and more families are counting on a women's salary to make ends meet, fair pay is even more critical, not simply to family economic security but also to the nation's economic recovery. Urge your senators to take the next critical step in the fight for pay equity by quickly passing the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182).
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 22, 2010.
A new study of academic scientists found that female scientists spend up to 10 additional hours on family housework in their homes than their male counterparts do, a time gap that could hinder the advancement of women. According to Inside Higher Ed, the study, published in the magazine of the American Association of University Professors, calls for colleges and universities to create an employee benefit option for faculty members to have financial assistance for housework.
AAUW works to advance policies that will improve workplaces for employees with family responsibilities of all kinds. Such protections and improvements are critical to breaking through educational and economic barriers for women. For more information, read our position paper on work-life balance.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 22, 2010.
The number of women who are their families' sole breadwinners has risen, as has the number of unemployed fathers, according to Census Bureau data. The data shows:
AAUW Director of Public Policy and Government Relations Lisa Maatz will be a panelist in the Fem2.0 Blog Radio Series program entitled, "Work/Life and Singletons" on Friday, January 29 at 11:30 am EST.
The Fem2.0 blog radio series will present one program a day, from January 25 to February 5, analyzing how today's work environment and policies are impacting specific communities. The goal of the series is to "demonstrate how work/life is NOT just a women's issue but everyone's issue." Click on the link for more information.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 15, 2010.
First Lady Michelle Obama addressed Department of Labor staff on Thursday in Washington, D.C. and spoke of the need for an increase in work-life balance policies in the U.S. and in the federal government. She specifically mentioned the Healthy Families Act (H.R. 2460/S. 1152) and noted the support that President Obama and Secretary Hilda Solis have made public for the bill. "It's time we viewed family-friendly policies as not just niceties for women but as necessities for every single working American - men and women," the First Lady noted. "Things like paid family leave and sick days and affordable childcare should be the norm, not the exception. "
ACTION: AAUW believes that creating work environments that help employees balance the responsibilities of work and family is good public policy - good for workers, good for families, and good for business. Urge your representative to support the Healthy Families Act (H.R. 2460/S. 1152), which would provide full-time employees with seven paid sick days a year to be used for their own medical needs or to tend to the medical needs of a family member. Then, take another minute to urge your senators to support the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act (S. 354). This important legislation will provide federal workers up to four weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, and will be a significant step towards paid parental leave for all Americans. For more information, read our position paper on work-life balance.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 15, 2010.
A new book out June 2, Womenomics: Write Your Own Rules for Success, describes how women today are using their increased economic power to request flexible work schedules that support a better work-life balance, BusinessWeek reported. Companies increasingly recognize that creative work programs raise both productivity and employee morale. Authors of the book, Claire Shipman of ABC's Good Morning America, and Kathy Kay of BBC's World News America, note that "the most important component driving the change is that women are finally understood to be good for business". They cite three studies that found that companies with more women in senior positions were more profitable. And while women may be at the forefront of the workforce revolution, they are not alone in their desire for more flexible schedules. Kathleen Christensen of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation describes the trend as generational. She writes that, "generations X and Y do have a very strong work ethic, but they want more balance-a satisfying work and personal life". Companies' greater willingness to implement creativity and flexibility scheduling options is making that balance more feasible.
AAUW believes that creating work environments that help employees balance the responsibilities of work and family is good for workers, families, and businesses. For more information, read AAUW's position paper on family friendly workplaces.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for May 30, 2009.