Washington, DC - "I am the face of pay equity." That is the simple but compelling message AAUW and its members have been sharing with policy-makers and the public all this month.
"AAUW continues to share that message at the National Committee on Pay Equity press conference on Capitol Hill, on April 23, to support the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act by the Senate," said Lisa M. Maatz, AAUW public policy and government relations director, who will be a featured speaker.
Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and George Miller (D-CA) are scheduled to attend the press conference.
Other speakers include Marsha Zakowski, president, Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW); Rosalyn Pelles, director, Department of Civil, Human and Women's Rights, AFL-CIO; Margot Dorfman, CEO, U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce; Michele Leber, chair, National Committee on Pay Equity, and Lilly Ledbetter, whose complaint of wage discrimination was denied by the Supreme Court decision in May 2007.
"AAUW is also mobilizing to unite communities in support of the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831)," said AAUW’s Maatz. "Since the House has already had the good sense to pass the bill, AAUW members and allies will be largely targeting the Senate, showing their senators the Face of Pay Equity as a part of our advocacy efforts on this bill." Supporters across the country have been posting their photos as "faces of pay equity" in their messages to their senators.
AAUW has been a leader in moving the bill forward, and members have been holding in-state meetings with Senate staff. The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831) addresses the U.S. Supreme Court's problematic decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, which severely limited the ability of victims of pay discrimination to seek redress under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The bill is consistent with both congressional intent and more than 40 years of legal precedent and EEOC practice prior to the Court's decision in Ledbetter. "The measure is a time warp of sorts, restoring the law to how it was previously applied — no more, no less," said Maatz. "We believe the prior practice was not only fair but a better reflection of how today's workplace really functions."
The Census Bureau reports that, on average, a woman earns 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man; the numbers are even worse for women of color.
"A large majority of women identify equal pay for equal work as a national priority in this election year," said Maatz. "Equal Pay Day and continued pay equity efforts this month serve as an effective reminder of this fact for our elected officials as voters consider their choices."
This year, AAUW again has state-by-state data showing the effect of a college degree on women's earnings. "This update of AAUW's interactive online report Gains in Learning, Gaps in Earnings demonstrates that the size of the college-educated population is no indication of the size of the pay gap. The data suggest that educational achievement alone will not close the pay gap," said Catherine Hill, AAUW research director.
AAUW's groundbreaking report Behind the Pay Gap (2007) provides further evidence of the gender pay gap in the college-educated workforce. The research shows that just one year out of college, women working full time already earn less than their male colleagues earn, even when they work in the same field. Ten years after graduation, the pay gap widens.
Nationwide, AAUW is funding seven Campus Action Projects based on recommendations in the Behind the Pay Gap report. With the goal of ending gender discrimination, the Campus Action Projects will focus on promoting careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) among women and girls; encouraging women to negotiate for better quality jobs and pay; and raising awareness of the gender pay gap.
"Through advocacy, research, and campus outreach, AAUW is working to make progress on the issue of pay equity so that women everywhere will have not only a level playing field but also a level paying field," said AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman, CAE.
For more information or to request an interview with Linda Hallman, Lisa Maatz, or AAUW Campus Action Project representatives about pay equity efforts, contact Ashley Carr, AAUW Communications, at 202/785-7745 or Carra@aauw.org.
