Equal Pay Day seems to get more attention every year, and that's a good thing. Women earn less than men, even in the same job sector with the same training and experience when both work full time and year round. Women with children earn less than other women and men with or without children. Seems we just can't shake these old ideas of women being only suited to the domestic scene, and the mis-characterization of operating families as unskilled and non-productive work. Nothing could be farther from the truth! My girl crush, Betsey Stevenson of the White House Council of Economic Advisors put out this handy one-pager, Five Facts About the Gender Pay Gap. The White House hosted advocates to a celebration for some remarkable men and women who've fought for paid family leave, paid sick days, fair pay and other pro-working family policies at Champions of Change.  And to top it all off, they released this nifty video, below.

 

It's Time for Equal Pay

 

Mothers' issues are showing up more often in the news.  The Washington Post just ran this article, Why women are afraid to tell employers they're pregnant. Maybe because everybody knows that pregnant women often encounter discrimination at work, and women with children are viewed as less competent and less committed? It's a possibility.....

Here's an idea - make sure both parents can take paid time off when a baby arrives. According to BBC News: "New rights to allow parents to share leave following the birth or adoption of their child have come into effect. Aside from an initial two weeks of maternity leave for the mother, up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay can be shared between parents. The rules mean that parents can also take time off at the same time to look after a newborn...Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said the rights would allow men to become more hands-on fathers and stop women feeling they have to choose between a career or a baby....."For too long, mums have been told their place is at home with their child, while dads return to work. I want parents to choose for themselves how to balance work and family.'"