Washington – Lisa Maatz, AAUW's top policy adviser, issued the following statement in light of the income data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.
"The government's new report on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage shows that the wage gap between men and women working full time remains stubbornly in place. In 2007, the average woman made almost 78 cents for each dollar earned by her male counterpart. According to newly released 2008 figures, that number now stands at just over 77 cents for each dollar earned by a man. Given the tough economic times, some might say that women should be satisfied that the gap didn’t widen. However, given that the wage gap has been stagnant over the past decade — in good times and bad — AAUW sees this as a time for action.
It is critical that we make real progress on closing the wage gap. Wage discrimination hurts whole families, not just women. This is not a time for employers to fall back on the stereotypes of men as the primary breadwinners, and tough economic times are not sufficient excuse to ignore civil rights laws. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about a fifth of families with children are headed by single working moms, and nearly half of all families with children depend on two paychecks. Clearly a majority of working families have a stake in equal pay for equal work. These are real women, working everyday to make ends meet. They are not asking for special treatment; they are asking for simple justice.
AAUW remains committed to passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182/H.R. 12), a much-needed update to the Equal Pay Act of 1963. Congress made an important statement earlier this year by adopting the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — the first bill signed into law by President Barack Obama. But it’s only the first step to fair pay. The Paycheck Fairness Act, along with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, will help create a climate in which pay discrimination is not tolerated. The House has already passed the measure, but the Senate needs to take up the mantle. It's time we strengthened the Equal Pay Act so that it can finally live up to its name."
For more information or to schedule an interview with AAUW Director of Public Policy and Government Relations Lisa Maatz, please contact Lisa Goodnight, AAUW Sr. Media Relations & Marketing Associate at 202/785-7738 or goodnightl@aauw.org.
To learn more about AAUW's position on pay equity, visit: http://www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/actionpages/payequity.cfm
