Economic Inequality, part 3: Blame the Victim.

In parts I and II of this series, we looked at gender-based pay disparities during and after the working years. Today I want to talk about how the government penalizes the victims of this situation.
Our government’s response to inequality is to compensate, in constantly decreasing amounts, the families at the lowest economic levels. Yet, they never address the compensation lost by all families with working women as members. This suggests that the blame for poverty lies with the economically poor families who are being cheated out of fair compensation. It gives a state endorsement of the system that sets women (especially single-parent families, but all households with female wage-earners) behind from the first years of their working lives, ensuring they can never get ahead.

We have seen some small movements against the worst of the pay-disparity offenders. Usually, though? Solutions are offered in areas with a long-term payoff - such as teaching women and girls better bargaining skills. Which doesn't address the current ever-deepening hole, and it places the burden on the victim in this situation!

What do you think?

how could we have missed...

Equal Pay Day on April 22!

Take a look at this article on fair pay issues that relates to the Supreme Court case Ledbetter v. Goodyear (2007). which prompted the (recently failed-to-pass-Senate) Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. If you're not familiar with the case, Lilly Ledbetter lost out on approximately 1/4 million dollars over her career due to unequal pay for equal work. Dahlia Lithwick, of Slate.com, writes that

So, 42 members of the U.S. Senate blocked a bill that would allow victims of gender discrimination to learn of and prove discrimination in those rare cases in which their employers don't cheerfully discuss it with them at the office Christmas party. And the reasons for blocking it include the fact that women are not smart enough to file timely lawsuits, not smart enough to avoid being manipulated by vile plaintiffs' lawyers, not smart enough to know when they are being stiffed....

Be an educated advocate. What do you think?

• Do you know how your Senators voted?
• Do you think the stated arguments against this legislation are fair and reasonable? Or do you disagree?
• Do you have an opinion about whether more females elected to legislative positions would have an impact on the passage of anti-discrimination legislation?
• Is a legislative remedy to unequal pay necessary?
• What questions does this bring up for you?

Weekend Thoughts

consider this...

A shooting. A story on women and eating. A book about body images. A debate about posters in our local high school. Prom and dating violence. There's a lot to think about this weekend. Share your thoughts on one or all of these topics!

Be sure to check back Monday for Part 3 in our series on Economic Inequality: Blame the Victim.

NY Police acquitted in shooting of unarmed man on his wedding day
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24305660/

Alarming Eating Habits (65% of American women are disordered eaters) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24295957/
Raises the issues of who defines “disordered” (framing of article) in addition to wider health & body image concerns

More on body image –
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/la-ca-plasticsurgery13apr13,1,338362.story
Plastic surgery on TV

http://www.bodyimagebook.com/
This is who I am “Our bodies in all shapes and sizes”– essays and photographs about how women feel about their bodies. Cool quotations there.

Hushing a day of silence – debate over posters in school
http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2008/apr/23/hushing-day-silence/

Deputies and YWCA prepare for proms
http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2008/apr/24/deputies-ywca-preparing-proms/
also visit www.ywca.org/rockcounty to download a prom tip poster!

Economic Inequality, part 2: Retirement Impact

Pay inequities would be unacceptable even if they ended where we did in my last post.

It gets worse. The shortage in compensation follows women into retirement.

Did you know:

• Women receive a third less social security than men receive.
• Three fourths of women receive a benefit of less than $1000 per month, while nearly the same percentage of men receive payments over $1000 per month.
  
• Over half of all unmarried women rely on social security as their only income after 65, while only thirty eight percent of unmarried men do.

Add to that the fact that women live longer than men, and lower lifelong earnings combined with lower social security leads to an economic crisis for senior women.

We cannot have gender equality without economic equality.

-Martha Pearson, YWCA staff and empowerment advocate

(Editor's note: more on this topic to follow. Martha has a lot to share! Here's a question for you - the title of this blog is "Catalyst". What does this knowledge about economic inequalities inspire you to do?

Weekend Thoughts

consider this...


Social Action and advocacy are the cornerstones of the YWCA. Since our inception almost 150 years ago, “service” has been linked to “action.” In communities across the United States, YWCAs continue to work to improve social and economic conditions for all people by providing services, taking action and using our voices. Participate in the discussion. Here are some links to get you started...


For a chilling photo-journal of abuse, visit http://www.abuseaware.com/

April 22 Marks Equal Pay Day! www.pay-equity.org/day.html

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month http://gazettextra.com/news/2008/apr/12/place-full-care/ www.preventchildabuse.org;

What can you do to make a difference? How can you help? Should you help?
Let us know what you think.

Be sure to check back Monday for Part 2 in our series on Economic Inequality: Retirement Impact.