Saturday, October 5, 2019
Italian Community Center, 631 E Chicago St., Milwaukee, WI 53202
11 am – Social, 11:30 Luncheon

Newly released data form the U. S. Census Bureau shows that the gender pay gap remains unchanged. While women typically make 82 cents on the dollar compared to men, it is even less for women of color.

While AAUW and other organizations see the value of pay equity work to rectify the Gender Pay Gap,one bright spot in the recent gloom is the Paycheck Fairness Act. The Act is meant to close the gap by making wages more transparent and guarding employees who raise concerns about gender-based wage discrimination. As you know, the Act passed the House in March and was forwarded to the Senate on April 3, 2019. The Senate has yet to take any action. It will be interesting to see what progress is made, especially since 2020 is an election year.

According to studies by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (www.iwpr.org), women will not have pay equality until 2059. Women of color have even further to go; Hispanic women will not reach equal pay until 2224 and Black women until 2119. However, it must be noted that change has come from women entering occupations previously held mostly by males. On the downside, not all industries and occupations have had gender integration, which may contribute to continuation of the gap.

Our October meeting will explore how the gap can make a difference for women throughout a lifetime. We hope you will be able to join us.
Submitted by: Program Committee