EQUAL PAY DAY, APRIL 20, 2010

Thanks to the hard work of AAUW Action Network members and our coalition partners, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law on January 29, 2009. However, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the gap between men's and women's median earnings widened slightly between 2007 and 2008, from 78 % to 77% for full-time, year-round workers.  While women have been hard at work to narrow the wage gap, Congress has failed to pass legislation that would give women effective equal pay protections.

Because women earn less, on average, then men, they must work longer to receive the same amount of pay.  April 20, 2010 is the date that women have to work beyond December 31, 2009 to equal what the average man earns.

The ramifications of the wage gap persist even after women leave the workforce,  "If a woman is paid less, her Social Security payments are lower when she retires, and her pension is lower." explains Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D., Ill.).  "That's of huge concern as the population ages."

 Join the AAUW Action Network!

Anyone with an e-mail address can subscribe to the AAUW Action Network, a group of AAUW members and supporters committed to mobilizing citizens on issues affection women.  Discover what's happening in Washington and what you can do to influence the outcome.  Action Network sends subscribers urgent e-mail notices to contact their members of Congress.  With our online system, you can make your voice ehard in just minutes.  AAUS members and supporters can also find detailed information on legislation currently under consideration in Congress and write letters to the editor of their local paper.

For more than a century, AAUW has influenced legislative debate on critical issues such as education, social security, sex discrimination, civil rights, reproductive choice, affirmitive action, Title IX, welfare reform, vocational education, pay equity, family and medical leave, and health care reform.  For more information, visit: http://www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/

March Is Women's History Month
AAUW will be celebrating National Women's History Month in March. Check the AAUW website, our blog, or AAUW's Facebook page during March to see what activities we have planned. We'll also be tweeting about women's accomplishments throughout history, so be sure to follow AAUW if you have a Twitter account, and join us for our weekly Twitter event, #wmnhist, on Wednesdays.

International Women's Day
In conjunction with our partners at CARE, AAUW is planning to celebrate International Women's Day on March 4, 2010, with an event based on Nicholas Kristof's acclaimed book Half the Sky. Visit the AAUW International Corner for updates. Would you like a local speaker from CARE for your branch or state event? E-mail groups@care.org, and Helen Robinson will do her best to accommodate you!

HEALTH CARE REFORM

You've heard the myths, the lies, and the scare tactics circulating about health care reform.  Death panels.  Loss of private insurance.  Cuts to Medicare.  Rationing of care.  It's scary stuff.  Thankfully, we know you don't buy it.  What's really scary is what will happen without health care reform.

Without health care reform, insurance companies could continue the discriminatory practice of gender rating, and women could continue to pay monthly premiums ranging from four percent to 48 percent higher for individually-purchased health care plans than men.  That's scary.

Without health care reform, insurance coverage for basic reproductive health care services for women could continue to be denied.  That's scary.

Without health care reform, access to and coverage of preventive services like screenings, immunizations, and educational material may not be covered or expanded, and women could continue to die of preventable and treatable diseases.  That's scary.

You've told your members of Congress that these three key elements must be included in any final health care reform legislation.  Now, tell a friend to do the same. 

While there is no shortage of proposals for how health care reform should be achieved, AAUW's emphasis is not on pushing one proposal over another, but instead ensuring that whichever program ultimately emerges provides access to quality and affordable health care for all Americans.

Health care is intrinsically tied to economic security; this is particularly true for women, who earn less than men on average and use more health care services than men do.  These two factors-less income, more costs-mean women face a high level of health care insecurity.  Health care reform is necessary now more than ever, and it must focus on the need for access and affordability-in a way that is equitable to women.

Take Action!

Forward this message to a friend, and ask them to urge their members of Congress to support legislation that provides Americans with access to quality, affordable health care that is equitable to women.  They can use the link below to send their message. 

http://capwiz.com/aauw/issues/alert/?alertid=13845226

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