The Difference of 23 Cents: Gender-Based Wage Discrimination Continues

Yesterday, the US Census Bureau released new data on the wage gap between men and women in the United States from 2012. American women are on average, making 77 cents to every dollar a man makes, unchanged from last year. This figure has not budged over the past decade.

The numbers are frustrating on their own. But this inequity goes beyond the numbers and has real and serious affect on women and families and basic costs of living: food, housing, education, and retirement. Reform Jews in North America have been active on the issue of women’s economic justice for more than thirty years, but there is still so much more work to be done. Women make up 40% of the workforce, yet make a significantly amount less than their male counterparts. In difficult economic times such as these, every penny counts, regardless of the sex of the individual. The wage differentials are even more troubling for women of color, for when women working in full-time year-round positions are paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to a male corresponding equivalent, African-American women working in full-time year-round positions are paid 64 cents on the dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, and Hispanic women in jobs with those same time commitments were typically paid 54 cents on the dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. Our tradition teaches us to respect the rights of workers and to pay them fairly (Deuteronomy 24:14-15), and as the Reform Movement connects social action to Jewish identity, it is our responsibility to speak out against this longstanding and deeply-rooted injustice. This is an ongoing challenge that demands our action and attention. The Paycheck Fairness Act, introduced in the 113^th Congress (S. 84/HR. 377), would close important loopholes in the Equal Pay Act of 1963. In his early days in office, President Obama was successful in getting Congress to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, a crucial step forward, but as this latest Census report shows us, there is much work to be done. We need as much momentum as possible to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. You can take action with the Religious Action Center here and urge your Representatives and Senators to support this vital legislation.   The full Census report is available here.   This report from the American Association of University Women outlines in greater detail the importance of closing the wage gap.