Government

Bill package aimed at bridging gender wage gap

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By CAITLIN TAYLOR
Capital News Service
LANSING — When a Michigan woman asked why she didn’t get promoted over her male counterpart, her employer told her she didn’t need the raise, according to Rep. Christine Greig, D-Farmington Hills, who was told this story by a constituent. Her less-experienced male colleague had a family to support, the employer said, while the woman employee’s husband made enough money for both of them. This is a common sentiment among some of the state’s employers, said Mary Pollock, the government relations coordinator for the American Association of University Women of Michigan. “Still, employers say a married woman doesn’t need to be paid what a married man gets paid,” Pollock said. “But that’s just not true anymore.

Business & Economy

New bills aim to close the gender-wage gap

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By JOSH THALL
Capital News Service
LANSING — Employers could be required to release gender-based wage information, and the state could be required to report unequal wage data, under a package of bills aiming to close the wage gap between men and women in Michigan. The Progressive Women’s Caucus laid out a plan for a 12-bill package on April 14, saying they aren’t content to wait for the gap to close in 2086 under current trends. The Progressive Women’s Caucus is a group of 17 Democratic women legislators who work to make sure women’s rights and needs are not overlooked in the government. The bills were laid out on “Equal Pay Day,” meant to recognize the wage disparity between men and women workers. April 14 was selected for Equal Pay Day because it signifies how far into 2015 women had to work to match the amount of money their male co-workers made in 2014.

Business & Economy

Explaining the gender wage gap

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By COLLIN KRIZMANICH
Capital News Service
LANSING — More than 50 years after Congress first acted to address the gender wage gap, many women across the country are still earning less than their male coworkers. Democrats in Michigan recently introduced a 12-bill package aimed at eliminating this disparity. Michigan ranked tenth worst in the nation when it comes to the gender pay gap, according to the American Association of University Women. Understanding how and why this gap exists is critical in addressing the issue. What is the gender wage gap?