Friday, January 21, 2011

New data on gender segregation and pay disparities in jobs | Remapping Debate

New data on gender segregation and pay disparities in jobs | Remapping Debate

If one examined occupations with more than 90 percent women and more than 100,000 workers, there would only be six such occupations (as compared with 35 for men). Remapping Debate used less stringent measure of occupational domination — greater than 75 percent women — to yield the 30 occupations depicted in this data visualization.

In each and every one — whether large occupations like secretaries or teachers, or smaller occupations like payroll and timekeeping clerks — median earnings of women were less than those of men, although women did have median earnings in excess of 90 percent of those of men in several occupations.

In five cases — including registered nurses and elementary and middle school teachers — median pay for women was $40,000 or more a year (compared with 20 such occupations for men).

The highest median for women is that of registered nurses ($59,499). There were four occupations with more than 100,000 workers in total that had median incomes for men that were higher (including engineering managers and construction managers).


That's why we have to compensate women for the work they do -- not the work that men do. When accountability, problem solving, and know how are taken into consideration -- women's compensation stacks up against men! Comparable worth lives!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Monday, January 10, 2011

Pay Equity Law in Minnesota Targeted for Repeal

Pay Equity Friends,

Today a bill, HF 7, was introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives to repeal the Local Government Pay Equity Act (LGPEA). Other mandates are also included in the bill.

The LGPEA of 1984 (M.S. 471.991 to 471.999) required local governments (cities, counties, school districts, etc) to “establish equitable compensation relationships” by December 31, 1991. Other common terms for “equitable compensation relationships” are “comparable worth” or “pay equity.” Jurisdictions report to the Commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget every three years.

The purpose of the law is “to eliminate sex-based wage disparities in public employment in this state.” Equitable compensation relationships are achieved when “the compensation for female-dominated classes is not consistently below the compensation for male-dominated classes of comparable work value…within the political subdivision.” (Minnesota Management & Budget “Minnesota Local Government Pay Equity Compliance Report”, January 2011).

The MMB’s January, 2011 report notes various pay increases as a result of inequities found in local governments who reported in 2010. Before the inequities were corrected, the average pay for females in the examples found in the report was $16.27 per hour. After pay equity adjustments were made, the average pay for females was $17.86 per hour.

What this report tells us is that the LGPEA is of vital importance to the lives of women working public sector jobs in Minnesota and that wage discrimination is alive and well. Not to mention that women still make $.22 less than men, on average, in the state of Minnesota.

We cannot allow the Local Government Pay Equity Act to be abolished! Please pass along this information within your networks.