Women's History Month: March 2022 National Women's History Month traces its roots to March 8, 1857, when women from various New York City factories staged a protest over poor working conditions. The first Women's Day celebration in the United States was in 1909, also in New York City. More than seven decades later, Congress in 1981 established National Women's History Week to be commemorated annually the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month and every year since has passed a resolution (and the president has issued a proclamation) designating March Women's History Month. As we celebrate Women's History Month 2022, we reflect upon advances women have made over the last decade. Women have increased their earnings, education and fields of occupation, and continue to have longer average life spans than men. Below are some Census Bureau stats highlighting these and other changes over the years. We appreciate the public's cooperation in helping us measure America's people, places and economy.  Did You Know? 164.8 million The number of females of all ages in the United States. There were 159.9 million males of all ages. Source: 2019 American Community Survey, 5-Year Estimates 2 to 1 The approximate ratio of women to men ages 85 and older (4.1 million to 2.2 million) in the United States. Source: 2019 American Community Survey, 5-Year Estimates 20.7% In 2019, the percentage of women 25 and older with a bachelor's degree as their highest degree; 19.9% of men had a bachelor's degree as their highest degree. Source: 2019 American Community Survey, 5-Year Estimates 80.8% Women's median earnings as a percentage of men's median earnings, for full full-time, year-round workers 16 years and older. Source: 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates Read More What Is the Gender Wage Gap in Your State? Written by: Megan Wisniewski The gender-based wage gap in the United States has narrowed in recent years, but disparities remain: national median earnings for civilians who worked full-time, year-round in the past 12 months was $53,544 for men compared to $43,394 for women, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey (ACS). There are a multitude of factors that may contribute to earnings differences between women and men: age, number of hours worked, presence of children, and education. The types of jobs women and men hold, and the earnings difference among these occupations also contribute to gaps in overall earnings. Read More A new visualization tool depicts the gender-based wage gap at the state level using 2019 ACS and 2019 Puerto Rico Community Survey data. The wage gap data visualization highlights the top occupation and the three top occupations for men and women for each state by count of workers. Gender Pay Gap Visualization Help us spread the word about Census Bureau data! Share this on social media or forward it to a friend. Share This About the Census Bureau We serve as the nation's leading provider of quality data about its people and economy. The Census Bureau is the federal government's largest statistical agency. As the world's premier statistical agency, we are dedicated to making our nation a better place. Policy-makers, businesses, and the public use our data to make informed decisions. Resources for Media For media interviews, please contact the Public Information Office Toll Free at 877-861-2010, 301-763-3030, or pio@census.gov.

The MA pay gap per Census data

On National Pay Day women in sports highlight inequality

 

Megan Rapinoe has taken her fight for equal pay to Congress as she testified on Wednesday in front of a committee examining “the economic harm caused by longstanding gender inequalities, particularly for women of color”.

The Olympic and World Cup champion testified at a hearing by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. In her opening statement, the soccer star told the committee that: “I am here today because I know firsthand that this is true. We are told in this country that if you just work hard and continue to achieve - you will be rewarded, fairly. It’s the promise of the American dream. But that promise has not been for everyone.

“The United States women’s national team has won four World Cup championships and four Olympic gold medals on behalf of our country. We have filled stadiums, broken viewing records, and sold out jerseys, all popular metrics by which we are judged.

“Yet despite all of this, we are still paid less than men – for each trophy, of which there are many, each win, each tie, each time we play. Less.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/mar/24/megan-rapinoe-equal-pay-day-us-congress-white-house-visit

"The NCAA’s handling of the women’s basketball tournament is either malpractice or malfeasance. It’s one or the other. The issue is not just petty skimping on food, the withholding of the March Madness brand, the willful lack of promotion. Something much bigger is going on here, a kind of larceny. And Congress should make the NCAA crack open the books on it.

Short of stifling Geno Auriemma with a pillow while stealing his diamond championship rings, the NCAA could not work harder to smother the potential of the women’s tournament and rob it of revenue. This week, in response to a query about its financials, the NCAA insisted again that the women don’t turn a profit. This is patently unjustifiable. You know how much revenue NCAA Division I women’s basketball generated collectively in 2018-2019? Almost a billion dollars. "

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/03/25/ncaa-women-basketball-tournament-revenue/

"provide a strong legal protection for women’s rights"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"After hours of debate Wednesday night, the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution passed the Illinois House. 

The resolution was approved 72-45, making Illinois the 37th state to ratify the ERA, which outlaws discrimination based on gender nationwide. The Senate approved the measure 43-12 on April 11. 

“I’m glad that the common sense, the recognition that women deserve and are entitled to the same protections as men, won the day,” said Rep. Steve Andersson, R-Geneva. “What we’re going to do is raise the level of all ships. Men, women, everyone does better because of this.” 

Originally brought to the states for ratification in 1972, only 35 state legislatures voted for the amendment before a 1982 deadline set by Congress."

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"In 2017, Nevada became the 36th state to ratify ERA. With Illinois’ action Wednesday, only one more state needs to ratify it. But Congress will have to remove the deadline for it to become the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."

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http://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20180531/illinois-becomes-37th-state-to-ratify-equal-rights-amendment

Did MA pass this? 
Yes, as the 19th state to do so in June of 1972. For additional info, the wikipedia page is rich with history, tidbits and links  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_Rights_Amendment

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_Rights_Amendment

In the News: School Committee hears about counseling, Atty General Healy looking for equal pay, DelCarte clean up scheduled

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

"The School Committee heard an extensive presentation on district counseling efforts this week. 

The committee at its Tuesday night meeting listened to several members of the counseling staff - as well as some students - as they outlined initiatives at the elementary, middle school and high school levels. 

Committee Chairman Kevin O'Malley said the role of school counselors had changed dramatically from the days when the focus was college and job preparedness. 

"School counseling is not what it used to be," he said. "It has never been more involved or far-reaching."

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http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160414/franklin-schools-work-to-develop-counseling

The Franklin Matters reporting on the School Committee meeting can be found here  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/04/storify-real-time-reporting-school.html

"Attorney General Maura Healey calculates that she could have purchased 1 million cups of coffee with the additional wages she would have earned if she were paid the same as her male co-workers. 

“It is long past the time to get this done,” said Healey, who joined with state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, State Auditor Suzanne Bump and dozens of male and female legislators by the Statehouse’s Grand Staircase for Equal Pay Day, which was Tuesday. 

Chief among the topics was a pay equity bill (S 983) that prohibits employers from discriminating on wages based on gender. 

The bill would make it illegal for a company to ask what a job applicant made in a previous job, which Healey said often used as a way to keep women’s salaries down. The legislation would also bar any prohibitions against employees discussing their wages with each other."

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http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160414/legislators-stump-for-equal-pay

"The Conservation Commission is seeking volunteers for a cleanup of the DelCarte Conservation property next weekend. 

The cleanup - scheduled for 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 23 - is the first such event at the 136-acre Pleasant Street property, which the town has opened up for recreational uses. 

Town Conservation Agent George Russell said the work that day would likely involve mostly trash pick-up. 

"It's more a maintenance issue than anything," he said, adding that the work would take place along the property's trails and picnic areas."

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http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160414/franklin-delcarte-cleanup-scheduled-for-april-23

the playground at DelCarte is currently closed for repair but scheduled to be re-opened for May