Two notable events this week.  First, the US Senate voted down the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would enhance enforcement of an anti-gender discrimination law in the workplace.  This is the fourth time this has happened, and the vote split exactly along party lines, with Republicans voting against.  Among other things, the PFA would keep you from being fired if you discuss your compensation with coworkers.  It's pretty difficult to discover pay disparities otherwise.   Find out how your Senators voted, and let them know if they acted as you wished.

Second, women lawmakers discussed the importance of pro-family policies for women's economic security and the economy as a whole on Thursday morning.  Senators Patty Murray and  Kirsten Gillibrand took part, as did  US Reps. Nancy Pelos, Rosa DeLauro and Hillary Clinton.  It's really worth your time to watch the video, or if you're pressed for time, check out #Progress4Women on Twitter.

While the situation is bad, at least it is getting more attention which is a good thing.  "Two recent studies, one global and the other domestic, have made it disappointingly clear that the gender gap in the U.S. isn't even close to being closed. The Global Gender Gap Index 2013, by the World Economic Forum -- measured gender gaps on economic, political, education and health criteria in 136 countries. The U.S. ranked No. 23 -- but No. 67 when it came to wage equality for equal work. The domestic study, conducted in August by WalletHub, used similar criteria, and returned results that were just as bleak for women -- pay inequality and job rank inequality exists in all 50 states."

The Pay Gap Isn't Closing

The new poverty data reveals what you already know, according to the Washington Post- wages aren't going up, millions of families aren't getting ahead, and the difference between what men and women earn isn't narrowing. "But neither men nor women experienced any significant rise in their median earnings, which have been essentially unchanged since 2009. The median for women was about $39,000, compared to $50,000 for men - meaning the median for women was 78 percent what it was for men."

Motherhood Is Part of the Pay Gap

Where is the connection, you ask?  Right here: " The birth of a child is one of the leading causes of poverty spells. Parents lose income to recover from childbirth and to care for a new baby just when expenses are mounting. Yet the United States is the only developed nation in the world with no federally mandated paid family leave." says the Center for American Progress.

How Child Care Puts Moms in Peril

Our abysmal failure to women's economic security (read "motherhood") slows the economy for everybody.  But don't take my word for it - take it from the brain trust at the Wharton MBA school :
 

"Not only does the high cost of child care in the U.S. hit the bottom line of individual families, it also has repercussions for the economy as a whole. For one, the tremendous strain on household budgets dents consumption, which in turn hinders growth. Second, the burden of dealing with (and paying for) child care is seen as a culprit that forces women to drop out of the labor market. And finally, the difficulties associated with child care are for some a deterrent to have children in the first place. The issue there, of course, is that in pure economic terms, today's babies are the workforce of the future."

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