September 19, 2008
Obama pays women less, McCain pays women more
Here's one more reason Hillary supporters can feel good about supporting the McCain/Palin ticket. Obama pays women only 78 percent of what he pays men. He has said he's for equal pay for women but apparently he's a hypocrite…
The period from October 1 through March 31, Obama paid women on his Senate staff an average annual salary of $44,953.21, which was $12,472 less than the $57,425.00 average annual salary he paid men. Women outnumbered men on the staff 30 to 27….
In percentage terms, McCain paid female staffers 101 percent of what he paid men. Women outnumbered men on McCain’s staff, 26 to 16…
Thirteen of the 20 highest paid members of McCain’s Senate staff were women during the sixth-month reporting period. Eight of the 20 highest paid members of Obama’s Senate staff were women.
Curiously, NOW President Kim Gandy does not see the pay disparity as a problem.
Hmm. Oh, yes, I remember. It's all about abortion, this is not about what's best for women. So what that there is a great pay difference between men and women on Obama's team, Obama is for any abortion at any time. That's what this is really all about.
Comments on Obama pays women less, McCain pays women more »
oldhand @ 3:19 pm
Equal pay for equal work.
If a female on Obama's staff doing the _same_job_ as a male is making less than the man, I would be very, very surprised.
Steve @ 3:24 pm
oldhand - Surprise! It's true. Check out the link if you don't believe me.
Publius @ 4:01 pm
It depends on what the staffer is doing. Taking averages means nothing. If the CEO is a man and all the other workers are women, the "average" pay for women vs. men is obviously going to be less.
You do realize that DC isn't just a hive of drones and workers, right? There are structures of power on all Congressional staffs. People doing the same work are being paid the same, regardless of gender.
Check your facts. And then make your diatribe.
Steve @ 4:05 pm
If Obama is surrounded by men in the high paying roles and women in the low paying roles the point is the same.
oldhand @ 5:21 pm
Actually, Steve, the point isn't the same.
Equal pay for equal work. That's all women have been asking for since the beginning of the modern equal rights movement.
Women and minorities have previously sought equal opportunity in hiring. They have received that and it is now against the law to discriminate in employment hiring practices on the basis of sex, race, religion, etc.
Equal pay for equal work, on the other hand, is something else. It means that women (or anyone else for that matter) would like to be paid the same for doing the same job.
The news article that you link to doesn't say anywhere that Obama or McCain pays women different than men for doing the same job.
Amy @ 8:12 pm
Okay Oldguy, er, I mean Oldhand: According to your statements above, Obama's recent campaign blather about wage disparities are nonsense, because he says: “Today women work to help support their families but are paid just 77 cents for every $1 a man makes. It’s just one more thing John McCain doesn’t get about our economy.”
The 77-cents figure comes from Census Bureau statistics. A Census Bureau fact sheet says: “The median annual earnings of women 16 or older who worked year-round full time in 2006: Women earned 77 cents for every $1 earned by men.”
So I guess the girls just aren't working in as "equal" jobs as the guys. Like in this illustration using Obama's staff vs. McCain's (pay attention, now):
Women occupy seven of the top 10 highest-paid positions on McCain’s staff, and five of the top 10 highest-paid positions on Obama’s staff.
Of course, we already know which campaign is giving women the opportunities we deserve, and the initials are NOT BHO.
Who doesn't "get it" Barry?
Nikole @ 9:42 pm
Oldhand - what country do you live in? Where do you work? I am a woman in the work force and I can testify that regardless of what any law says - women are paid less than men for doing equal work all the time. Men are more likely to get promoted even though their experience or efforts are not that of a femal co-worker. Men are usually paid more even when their education and experience are less than that of the female peer. Again, this doesn't just come from opinion, it comes from first hand experiences and it is also backed by statistics.
To assume that employers are paying equally simply because there is a law against discrimination may not be the best argument.
Marcee @ 12:16 pm
Yes, it's true that women are paid less, but I was fortunate when I started my job more than eight years ago. The manager offered me a salary above what the rest of my co-workers were paid. My manager was a woman, and in th eight years I have been at the place I work, I have had only one male manager, but he lasted two weeks and took another job. Women are in management in all seven departments in my work area. It's not about money, anyway. Management favors people from other countries where I work. When I applied for a promotion three years ago, I would have gotten the job, but they chose a guy from Bosnia. I don't believe it was because I was a woman. Later, a gal from another country got another job I was in line for. However, the manager approached me a week or so later and said that they had another position open in their department. When she said they wanted to offer it to me, I said I would take it. I was glad I did because God has been blessing me so much at work. Even though management tries to suppress Christianity and leaves off "religious holidays" from the diversity calendars and refers to Christmas as "holiday", they don't stop us from having Christian things at our desks or talking about God among our peers. I let my light shine where I am at, pray for people, and witness as the Lord leads. No one has stopped me or reported me. Praise God! I have witnessed many miracles at work as a result of my prayers. I noticed that the Christians in my work area have been getting the promotions over the last couple of years, so that's been a good sign, too!
Blessings!