Her View
by cathy zion Publisher
If Only It Were So! D
o my eyes deceive me? Can it finally be true? In 2008, women earned 8 percent more than men in their same age group, according to a recent study by a New Yorkbased research firm. Whoopee… whoaaa… whoops…don’t be so fast to kick up your red-patent heels in celebration. This study was just for women between the ages of 22 and 30 with no children. The research cited several sociological changes which impacted the findings. Women are much more likely to earn their undergraduate or graduate degree than men which certainly gives them a stiletto up on the corporate ladder. They are also waiting later to marry and even later to start a family.
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The study by Reach Advisors is also quick to point out that there is still a discrepancy between what women and men are paid for doing the same job. Overall, women are earning 80 percent of what men earn. For younger women — those in their 20’s — the gap narrows to about 90 percent. As you might guess, the statistics are even worse in Kentucky. According to the Louisville Office for Women, the mean income for women is $37,689 while the mean for men if $55,083. That’s a pathetic 68% which indicates our earnings are sliding down that elusive ladder. And while over 6 percent of those earning the top dollars at Fortune 500 companies are women, this isn’t reflected locally. According to a recent Business First report, out of the top 50 highest paid executives of local publically traded companies in 2009, only one was a woman and she has since resigned. Why is pay equity so elusive? Some advocate that there are really three groups — men, women with children, and women without children. As noted, the trends for childless women indicate they’re on the same pay scale with men. Then they take time off to become mothers, their hours drop when they return, and their pay does the same. An article in Businessweek last year said this ‘motherhood penalty’ equated to working mothers earning $11,000 less per year than their female counterparts without children. And then she gets hit with the double-whammy as their health care and child care increase, further weakening her disposable income. The problem is pervasive. Most agree, according to a recent Harris poll which found that “seven in ten Americans (69%) say that women often do not receive the same pay as men for doing exactly the same job. Three in five U.S. adults (62%) agree that women are often discriminated against in being promoted for supervisory and executive jobs.” These same individuals however also believe there are more important issues to address. “Three-quarters of U.S. adults (74%) agree that they do not think gender equality is perfect, but there are more pressing issues to fix first. And men and women are in agreement on this (74% of men agree as do 75% of women),” according to the Harris poll. But hey… “It’s the economy stupid!” And women represent over half of the economy so it seems past time to address pay equity. We need to kick butt with our pointed-toe pumps and pound the pavement with our mules to support candidates and corporations who are supportive of this essential economic issue. t o d a y ’ s
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