It is no surprise to many women in New York City that they often earn less than their male counterparts. The wage gap has been improving, but that doesn’t yet mean that employers are paying women with the same experience and in the same roles as men the same wage. Unfortunately, this form of gender discrimination is a widespread problem.
The problem has caught the attention of the president, however, and Democrats are trying to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act in an effort to hopefully reduce the wage gap. Democrats in the Senate have only started to look at the legislation, but it will likely face an uphill battle in the Republican-held House of Representatives.
One of the biggest opponents to passing legislation to lower the wage gap is Speaker of the House John Boehner. Boehner has made it clear that such legislation is superfluous in light of the current workplace discrimination laws. Boehner appears to believe that if women are concerned they are being paid less than their male counterparts, they can just file an employment lawsuit.
Although this is certainly a possibility, not every case of discrimination will automatically lend itself well to a case. Talking with an employment lawyer is one of the best ways to determine if a woman has what it takes to succeed in court.
As for President Obama, he has called this wage gap an “embarrassment.” His opponents have said, however, that the White House staff does not have much better of a wage gap than the rest of the U.S.
Source: Economic Times, “As Barack Obama spotlights gender gap in wages, his own payroll draws scrutiny,” April 8, 2014
