Equal Pay Day was April 8, the day that marks how far into 2014 women must work to earn what men earned in 2013. These are women doing the same job with equal education; surprisingly, their gender is the only thing that accounts for that 23 percent difference in wages. Why, in this day and age, do we have gender discrimination?
Contact your U.S. senators. Tell them to vote for the Paycheck Fairness Act now being discussed in the Senate. The law would do away with gag rules that prevent individuals from discussing pay with one another or companies retaliating against employees who discuss compensation. Women account for a major portion of the workforce today; two-thirds of them are the primary or co-earners in the family. This law is a matter of simple justice.
Catherine Scharle
Vancouver