St. Louis area moms demand equal pay for equal work

June 25, 8:48 AMSt. Louis Family & Parenting ExaminerAngela Atkinson

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Current economic conditions and the breakdown of the traditional family unit are putting more St. Louis area moms in the position of being the family breadwinners than ever before.

Yet, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported today, area women are only, on average, making 75 cents for every dollar their male counterparts make. And, sadly, this is lower than the national average of 78 cents on the dollar. The gap is a slightly smaller 73 cents on the dollar for college educated women in the area.

"In workplace terms, this means that the typical Missouri woman had to work from January 2008 through April 2009 to earn what her male counterpart received in 2008 alone," say Linda Hallman, Lilly Ledbetter and Marsha Koch. "And it's even worse for women of color."

In January of this year, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was approved by Congress, but more needs to be done. In fact, say the women, Congress needs to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which is endorsed by the National Organization for Women (NOW).

With 71 million women in the workforce today, wage discrimination is hurting families more than ever. St. Louis families must take action to end this inequality.

"We urge hard-working Americans everywhere—and especially women—to demand that their senators vote to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act," say Hallman, Ledbetter and Koch. "We urge Missourians especially to encourage Sens. Claire McCaskill and Kit Bond to co-sponsor and support this legislation. Yes, it's a matter of fairness to all American families. But it's smart economic policy for the country, too."