The Perspective Page 3
Membership Renewal Time -- Summer Must Be Near
T
he time to renew your membership is just around the corner. Our dues year
runs from July 1 - June 30th, so the money should be sent in before the end
of June. As we have done for the past few years, a drawing will be held of all
members who rejoin by June 30th. The winner will have their dues paid for the
following year. So join us again this coming year -- for the sake of all the women
and girls in your life.
If you get notification of the newsletter by email, it will say whether you owe dues or not. If you
receive it hard copy in the mail, check the label. If there is a Jun 09 you are all set. If it has Jun 08,
please send your dues. In any case, be sure to check the Gold Book for any corrections or updates
to your entry. You can send these any time to:
A check for dues made out to AAUW Petaluma, in the amount of $83.00 should be sent to:
Rory Keller, VP Membership
AAUW Petaluma Treasurer
Nancy Lefler
474 Middle Two Rock Rd.
Petaluma, CA 94952
Equal Pay Still an Urgent Issue for Women
A
AUW’s celebration of Equal Pay Day on April 22, 2008 coincided with a national effort to urge
the Senate to pass the Fair Pay Restoration Act (S. 1843), the companion bill to the House’s
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831) passed last year. Recent research indicates that this legislation
is urgently needed:
Last year, AAUW Educational Foundation’s report, Behind the Pay Gap, showed that just one year
out of college, women working full time earn only 80% of what their male colleagues get, even when
they work in the same field. Ten years later, the gap is wider: women’s salaries are 69% of men’s.
Even after adjusting for hours, occupation, parenthood, and other factors known to affect earnings,
the research indicates that one-quarter of the pay gap remains unexplained and is likely due to sex
discrimination.
According to an updated report, Gains in Learning, Gaps in Earnings (2008), women with four-
year degrees typically earn 76 cents for every $1 that their male counterparts earn.
In academic settings the situation is more equitable, according to new research findings published
on the website Inside Higher Ed, but even there a significant pay gap still exists. After controlling for
all factors, including seniority and classes taught, there is a 4 percent gap between the salaries of
men and women professors. Moreover, average salaries are lower in disciplines that have more
women professors and in teaching-oriented institutions, which also attract more women.
You can read the AAUW reports by going to the national AAUW website,
http://www.aauw.org/research/index.cfm. The March 25, 2008 Inside Higher Ed article can be
Barbara Guggemos, Public Policy Chair