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Job Discrimination Against Single Moms
from: Karlie BestlerWomen are now more than half of the paid labor force in our nation. The income of working women is increasingly essential to their family's economic security and is now also critical to the overall economic health of the United States. However, the public and private policies regarding parenting and the workplace have remained largely unchanged for decades. As a result, parents from all socioeconomic backgrounds are struggling to earn enough to keep their families healthy.
The wage gap between mothers and non-mothers is greater than between women and men, and it is getting bigger. Non-mothers earn 10% less than their male counterparts. Mothers earn 27% less. Single mothers earn between 34% to 44% less. The wage gap is a direct reflection of bias against working mothers. In part, this bias is because of the lack of family friendly policies to support the needs of working mothers and families such as flexible work options, paid family leave, and accessible childcare.
The National Committee on Pay Equity supports two bills in Congress aimed at curbing wage discrimination. The two bills focus on different aspects of wage discrimination, and both are needed to fully close the wage gap between men, women and mothers and hopefully ease the discrimination against single moms in the work force and allow single mothers to earn a fair wage.
The Fair Pay Act
The Fair Pay Act is sponsored by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). The Fair Pay Act seeks to end wage discrimination against those who work in female dominated or minority dominated jobs by establishing equal pay for equivalent work. For example, within individual companies employers could not pay jobs that are held predominately by women less than jobs held predominately by men if those jobs are equivalent in value to the employer.
The bill also protects workers on the basis of race or national origin. The Fair Pay Act makes exceptions for different wage rates based on seniority, merit, or quantity or quality of work. The Fair Pay Act does contain a small business exemption.
The Paycheck Fairness Act
Many feel it is absolutely essential that as a nation we make family economic security issues like pay equity a priority. They feel the Paycheck Fairness Act is a much needed update of the 46-year-old Equal Pay Act. The Paycheck Fairness Act is a comprehensive bill intended to create stronger incentives for employers to follow the law, to empower women to negotiate for equal pay and to strengthen federal outreach, education and enforcement efforts.
The Paycheck Fairness Act would also deter wage discrimination by strengthening penalties for equal pay violations and by prohibiting retaliation against workers who ask about the wage practices of the employer or against workers who disclose their own wages.
The Paycheck Fairness Act was introduced in January 2009 by then Senator Hillary Clinton and Rep. Rosa DeLauro to strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963. The Paycheck Fairness Act expands damages under the Equal Pay Act and amends its very broad fourth affirmative defense. In addition, the Paycheck Fairness Act calls for a study of data collected by the EEOC and proposes voluntary guidelines to show employers how to evaluate jobs with the goal of eliminating unfair disparities. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on January 9, 2009. Action by the Senate is pending.
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