That's right, it's Fair Pay Day and we're in the thick of it. First, let me share some important resources:
State by State Analysis of How Much Women Get Paid Compared to Men (easy comparison chart, plus in depth analysis)
We have the Equal Pay Act. Why do we need the Paycheck Fairness Act? Click here for a straightforward list of reasons why. EPA needs teeth!
And now ask a question: do you know if your pay is less than a similarly situated man's? How about a meta question: why are we still asking about this? Why is this still something to wonder about in 2009? In a sense, that's the easier question to answer-- it's because we as a society are still backing away from questions of equality. And why are we doing that? Because it's easier to let things be how they've always been, to simply accept subtle forms of discrimination, rather than challenge and change.
Damn, my physicist spouse is right again-- inertia wins!
But we have to gather our energy and overcome it. Many times, we feel disempowered when we know there's work to be done, but we don't know how to do it.
Never fear-- I have an easy way to get 'er done. Click here to sign the MomsRising petition calling on our US Senators to support the Paycheck Fairness Act. When they do, when Congress leads and shows the country and world that this is an issue of basic fairness that we can democratically fix, we will begin the slow and wonderful process of coming closer to equity and the freedom that comes with it.
