Media Highlight Importance Of Addressing Pay Inequality

New York Times Editorial: Progress Towards Equal Pay “Has Basically Stalled Over The Past Decade.” On April 14, The New York Times' editorial board explained that although it may seem like progress has been made towards equal pay, in reality it “has basically stalled over the past decade” and that “the longer the gap persists, the less it can be explained away by factors other than discrimination.” Writing that Republican obstructionism to equal pay legislation has “only made the problem worse,” the Times pointed to recent studies that show that “men still outearn women at every rung of the income ladder” and that the pay gap is steeper the higher up one climbs. [The New York Times, 4/14/15] 

Wash. Post's Rampell: Disputing Statistics On Equal Pay “Misses The Point.” In an April 14 op-ed, The Washington Post's Catherine Rampell criticized those who downplay the importance of Equal Pay Day, writing that the day is important because women still lack the ability to make the choices that would eliminate the gender pay gap. Rampbell explained that writing off the gap as simply the result of women's choices “misses the point,” and asserted that the real question is “what causes women to make” these choices in the first place. [The Washington Post, 4/13/15] 

Studies Show Gender Pay Gap Is Still A Pressing Issue For Women

AAUW: The Gender Pay Gap “Has Barely Budged In A Decade.” According to a recent report from the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the pay gap in the United States “affects women of all ages, races, and education levels” and has “barely budged in a decade.” AUUW explained that pay inequality is even worse for women of color, grows wider with age, and is present in nearly every occupation (emphasis added):

The pay gap has barely budged in a decade.

In 2013, among full-time, year-round workers, women were paid 78 percent of what men were paid.

Women in every state experience the pay gap, but some states are worse than others.

The best place in the United States for pay equity is Washington, D.C., where women were paid 91 percent of what men were paid in 2013. At the other end of the spectrum is Louisiana, the worst state in the country for pay equity, where women were paid just 66 percent of what men were paid.

The pay gap is worse for women of color.

The gender pay gap affects all women, but for women of color the pay shortfall is worse. Asian American women's salaries show the smallest gender pay gap, at 90 percent of white men's earnings. Hispanic women's salaries show the largest gap, at 54 percent of white men's earnings. White men are used as a benchmark because they make up the largest demographic group in the labor force.

Women face a pay gap in nearly every occupation.

From elementary and middle school teachers to computer programmers, women are paid less than men in female-dominated, gender-balanced, and male-dominated occupations.

The pay gap grows with age.

Women typically earn about 90 percent of what men are paid until they hit 35. After that median earnings for women are typically 75-80 percent of what men are paid. [American Association of University Women, February 2015] 

Economic Policy Institute: “Women Still Earn Less Than Men Across The Board.” According to an April 7 report from the Economic Policy Institute, the women's hourly wages are still less than men's “across the board”:

The figure below shows hourly wages in 2014 for men and women across the wage distribution. At every decile, men out-earn women. At the median, women's hourly wages are only 83 percent of men's hourly wages.

[...]

Though the gap between men and women's wages is smaller for lower-wage earners, there is still a significant gender wage gap at all levels of the wage distribution, particularly at the middle and the top. To close this gender wage gap, women need to see wage growth faster than their male counterparts. Although women have seen modest wage gains in the last several decades, the main reason the gender wage gap has slowly narrowed is that the vast majority of men's wages have stagnated or declined. The best way to close the gender wage gap is for both men and women to see real wage increases, with women at a faster rate than men. Truthfully, all workers are sorely in need of a raise. [Economic Policy Institute, 4/7/15]

CNN: “Women Nearly Twice As Likely [As Men] To Retire Into Poverty.” An April 14 CNN Money article pointed out that the gender pay gap “has a lasting impact over a woman's lifetime,” leaving women “twice as likely as men to retire into poverty.” [CNN, 4/14/15]

World Economic Forum: United States Ranks 65th In Survey Of 142 Countries On Gender Equality. According to an October 2014 report by the World Economic Forum examining gender equality across the world, the United States ranks 65th in its survey of 142 countries, and earns a wage equality score of only 66 percent -- meaning women earn only two-thirds of what men earn for similar work. The report, which drew from nine years of data, found that there has been “only a small improvement in equality for women in the workplace” since they began surveying the issue, and predicted that women won't see full gender equality in the workplace until at least the year 2095. [World Economic Forum, October 2014, via Media Matters]

Gallup: Americans Say Equal Pay Is Top Issue For Working Women. According to a September 2014 poll conducted by Gallup, "[n]early four in 10 Americans say equal pay is the top issue facing working women in the United States today" -- an assertion shared by respondents regardless of gender. [Gallup, September 2014]

Institute For Women's Policy Research: “Equal Pay Would Cut Poverty In Half For Families With A Working Woman.” Analysis from the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) found that “if working women earned the same as comparable men,” then the poverty rate would be cut “in half for families with a working woman”:

[Institute for Women's Policy Research, Accessed 4/14/15]

IWPR: Women Won't Achieve Equal Pay In The United States Until 2058. According to a March report from the Institute for Women's Policy Research, women in the United States will not achieve equal pay until 2058, and in some states, “a woman born today likely will not see wage equality in her lifetime”:

The first release from Status of Women in the States: 2015, a project of the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR), finds that, if current trends in narrowing the pay gap in the states continue, the date when women in the United States will achieve equal pay is 2058, but new projections for each state find this date is much further out in the future for women in many parts of the country.  In some states, a woman born today likely will not see wage equality in her lifetime. The report finds that at the current rate, five states--West Virginia, Utah, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Wyoming--will not see equal pay until the next century. The study is the first ever to project when the wage gap will close for every state in the nation. [Institute for Women's Policy Research, 3/12/15]

Right-Wing Media Have Consistently Dismissed Importance Of Addressing Pay Inequality

Fox's Eric Bolling: Gender Pay Gap Only Exists Because “Men Take More Risks.” On the February 23 edition of Fox News' The Five, co-host Eric Bolling explained away the gender pay gap by asserting that it only exists because “men take more risks” than women do. [Fox News, The Five, 2/23/15]

Fox Host Falsely Claimed Equal Pay Is No Longer An Issue. On the February 23 edition of Outnumbered, co-host Stacey Dash criticized actress Patricia Arquette for speaking out about pay inequality during her Oscar acceptance speech. Asserting that it was no longer an issue, Dash said, “In 1963, Kennedy passed an equal pay law. It's still in effect.” [Fox News, Outnumbered, 2/23/15]

Fox's Megyn Kelly Dismissed The Gender Pay Gap As A “Meme.” During an April 2014 discussion on Fox News' The Kelly File, host Megyn Kelly dismissed gender pay inequality as just a “meme.” Conservative commentator Dana Loesch agreed, claiming that the issue was no more than a “myth” perpetuated by progressives. [Fox News, The Kelly File, 4/4/14]

Fox Reporter: Gender Income Equality Is “A Myth That Has Endured For Years.” On the October 17, 2012, edition of Happening Now, Fox News reporter Doug McKelway used a gender wage gap question from the second 2012 presidential debate to claim that women earning 72 percent of what their male counterparts earn is “a myth that has endured for years.” [Fox News, Happening Now, 10/17/12, via Media Matters]

Fox's Dana Perino: Paycheck Fairness Act Is A “Distraction.” On the April 30, 2012, edition of Fox & Friends, Fox host Dana Perino attacked the Paycheck Fairness Act as “yet another distraction,” arguing the legislation “could actually hurt women.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/30/12, via Media Matters]