Equal pay still a dream

Jun 10, 2011

On June 10, 1963, President John F. Kennedy approved the Equal Pay Act, which prohibited arbitrary discrimination against women in the payment of wages. During the time this bill was signed, one of every three workers in the workforce was female — and yet the average woman worker earned only 60% of the average wage men received.

The act was meant to add protections to the working place for women and give them the economic boost they needed in order to provide for their children and families. As President Kennedy stated, “The lower the family income, the higher the probability that the mother must work. Today, 1 out of 5 of these working mothers has children under 3,” said President Kennedy. “I believe they bear the heaviest burden of any group in our Nation. Where the mother is the sole support of the family, she often must face the hard choice of either accepting public assistance or taking a position at a pay rate which averages less than two-thirds of the pay rate for men.”

Jump ahead 49 years now.

What is your perception of how far our country has come in terms of supporting working women?

Listed below are several links that speak to what many consider to be the last great economic step taken for women in American history.

54% Say Men and Women Don’t Receive Equal Pay For Equal Work

Passing the Paycheck Fairness Act Is Good For Women and The Economy

Let’s Put It In Writing: Women Are Equal