Mitt Romney is wrong about the wage gap

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:15:00 +0000

Asked about the gender wage gap last night, Mitt Romney changed the subject. "What we can do to help young women and women of all ages is to have a strong economy, so strong that employers are looking to find good employees and bringing them into their workforce and adapting to a — a flexible work schedule that gives women the opportunities that — that they would otherwise not be able to — to afford," he said. Sensing that he was going to be forced to actually answer the question, Romney added, "I’m going to help women in America get — get good work by getting a stronger economy and by supporting women in the workforce."

There are so many half-formed assumptions and pseudo-promises here that it's hard to know where to start, but let's go to the basic premise: That the wage gap narrows when the economy is strong. That premise, so far as we can see from the data, is wrong.

"In good economic times, bonus payments, overtime hours and merit pay increase," says Ariane Hegewisch, a study director at the Institute for Women's Policy Research. "Women are under-represented in the top echelons," where compensation has soared in good times. "Women are less likely to work overtime," she adds, and "research suggests that merit and performance-related pay still is a key area for gender discrimination." There's also research suggesting that "salary increases related to promotions might differ by gender."

Wage-gap debate questioner Katherine Fenton “absolutely not” a feminist

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:00:00 +0000

It took roughly 30 seconds after she asked about the wage gap last night for the right to start calling Katherine Fenton a left-wing conspiracy, vainly trying to connect her to someone who worked for Code Pink, calling her a "feminazi," and a "party girl." Reached by Salon at her home in Floral Park, N.Y., today, Fenton confirmed that she's no plant. She is, she says, a 24-year-old pre-K teacher and an undecided voter. Still undecided, in fact. And not a feminist.

Here's what Fenton asked last night: "In what new ways do you intend to rectify inequalities in the workplace? Specifically regarding females making only 72 percent of what their male counterparts earn."

So why is she undecided? Talking to Fenton today was an exercise in the frustrations and incoherences of such voters. She says she approves of Obama's health insurance reform, since it's allowed her to stay on her parents' insurance. "That's been really critical, especially for me," she said. "I've had some medical things that I've had to get tested and had to go to the doctor fairly often."

Salon.com > Wage Gap

Mitt Romney is wrong about the wage gap

Wage-gap debate questioner Katherine Fenton “absolutely not” a feminist