Families are working harder than ever to make ends meet, send their children to college and save for retirement. The earnings of women are central to meeting these goals. Women are the sole breadwinners in more than 40 percent of families. Two-thirds of all households with children under 18 are headed by women who are either the primary or co-breadwinners, yet women working at all income levels tend to be paid less. On average, women are still earning just 78 cents on every dollar that a man makes. This is wrong.
Our economy hasn’t caught up to reality yet. It’s not 1958. It’s 2015. Outdated workplace policies are holding families back. That has to change because it holds all of us back. We’ve all got a stake in ending gender discrimination in pay. Women make up about half of our workforce. When women make less than men, it hurts their families. They’ve got less to get by on. It hurts local businesses because their customers have less to spend. We do better when everybody has a fair shot, when our economy works for all of us.
Research indicates that if unmarried women with children made as much as comparable men, the very high poverty rate for families headed by working single mothers would fall by nearly half, from 28.7 percent to 15 percent.
Having an economy that works for everyone starts by ensuring women are paid the same amount as men when they work in similar jobs. It’s illegal to pay women less, in Iowa and elsewhere, but gender discrimination in pay exists. It’s time to make equal pay for equal work a reality. A few weeks ago, I pledged to support and sponsor legislation with several of my fellow Iowa House Democrats to correct this economic and social injustice.
In addition to ending gender discrimination in pay, one of the most effective ways to help families get ahead, weather the ups and downs of the economy, and set our kids up for success is to make sure families can take paid time off when they need it. Supporting working families starts with letting parents have the flexibility to leave work to take care of their kids when they’re sick and to take time off for their own illnesses-without losing wages or income. When workers don’t have to choose between their income, their health or their kids, they are more likely to stay in their jobs, providing stability and growth for their families and employers.
Again, change is desperately needed. Nearly one-quarter of adults report they have lost a job or have been threatened with losing a job for taking time off due to illness or to care for a sick child or relative, and about 40 percent of private-sector workers, and 81 percent of low-wage workers have no access to paid sick days. Workers without paid sick days either have to go to work sick or stay home, losing pay and risking job loss or workplace discipline.
In addition to sponsoring equal-pay for women legislation, I am working with several members of my party to craft legislation ensuring paid sick days. Why is this needed? Because current family and medical leave law provides unpaid, job-protected leave for serious health-related events, but only about 60 percent of the workforce qualifies for this unpaid leave, and many more simply cannot afford to take it because it is unpaid. In addition, only 12 percent of workers have access to paid family leave through their employers, and these workers are disproportionately well paid.
Paid sick days will help keep our economy, families and communities healthy. Employees who can earn sick time can use it to take care of themselves or a loved one without fear of losing a day’s wages or their jobs. That means workers will have more job security and more money to support their families and spend in local businesses, that parents will no longer be forced to choose between their families and their jobs, and that the entire community will be healthier, because these laws reduce the spread of illness and disease that can happen when people go to work or school sick.
I'm accessible to you. Call me at 641-521-9260, email dan.kelley@legis.iowa.gov or send correspondence to me at P.O. Box 333 in Newton. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.