Was Patricia Arquette Right?
Lots of debate followed Patricia Arquette's Oscar acceptance speech. (If you missed it, click here.) One association has been in the middle of the gender pay gap since 1913.
The American Association of University Women has made the gender pay gap one of its biggest initiatives, so every year it releases the latest stats to coincide with Equal Pay Day (April 14 this year). The spring 2015 study, which came from an analysis of government data, found that among full-time, year-round workers in 2013, women were paid 78% of what men were paid. Every state had wage gaps, but DC had the smallest, with women getting paid 91% of men. At the other end was Louisiana, where women were paid 66% of what men were paid.
Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez’s reactions to Patricia went viral Monday. Women are paid less in all professions, including female-dominated, gender-balanced and male-dominated industries. Education levels made no difference either, and it only gets worse as women age. Women earn about 90% of what men are paid until they hit age 35, then women are paid 75% to 80% of what men are paid. AAUW wants companies to do salary audits and for President Obama to ban federal contractors from retaliating against workers who discuss their salaries or ask about pay practices. The organization also encourages women to learn salary negotiation skills.
