In today’s Washington Times…
Last nights Senate vote on the wage-bias lawsuit fell short by four votes and Sen. Edward Kennedy is outraged: “As we’ve done on other basic bills, to protect civil rights, we won’t take no for an answer. This issue isn’t going away,” said Kennedy.
A report was released last week by Sen. Kennedy titled “Taking a Toll: The Effects of Recession on Women,” and in connection with this report he said: “It is now clear that our economy has sunk into a recession that threatens the wellbeing of countless American Families. Yet despite their critical role in the workforce, and in raising families, women and their vulnerability in economic downturns have received too little focus.” But Carrie Lukas, vice president for policy and economics at the Independent Women’s Forum, argues in the following op-ed, “Don’t Use Women to Justify Bad Economic Policy,” if you take a closer look at this report, you will find that this is a classic, politically opportunistic document designed to advance the author’s agenda while shedding little light on women’s real economic challenges.
According to the 2006 Census Bureau, women on average earn 77 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts, however this statistic is the most used and “misused” statistic that the Department of Labor uses because this statistic says little about women’s compensation and discrimination’s role in men and women’s earnings. All the relevant factors that affect pay-occupation, experience, seniority, education, and number of hours worked-are ignored. In short, this statistic ignores the different roles that work tends to play in men and women’s lives.
“Senator Kennedy may try to convince women that he can be their economic savior, but smart women know that government tends to create more problems than it solves,” said Lukas.
Related op-ed
Washington Post: A Bargain At 77 Cents To a Dollar by Carrie Lukas