What Would Your Family Do With $434,000?

by Jen Nedeau · 2008-12-15 15:14:00 UTC
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What would your family do with $434,000? That is the question being asked by the Center For American Progress this week, which recently launched a new campaign titled, "Out of the Way of Fair Pay" - asking the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to get out of the way of fair pay and stop opposing pay equity reform proposals in Congress.

In addition to educating the public on the fair pay issues still at hand, it is also promoting a fun video featuring Batgirl, who is taking on equal pay for equal work just like a super-heroine should:

According to the site, women "lose approximately $434,000, on average, over a 40-year period because of the gender wage gap."

My word - that's almost half-a-million dollars! I could start my own business with that amount of money. Or pay off my student loans. Or buy a house. Or send myself to graduate school. Or travel around the world. Or donate to several non-profits. Or -- well the list goes on and on.

The campaign, which is partnering with I Am Progress and MomsRising.org, reports that moms, especially single moms, fare even worse with the gender wage gap. While the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act were important steps toward making it easier for women to recover lost wages due to bosses who discriminate and requiring the federal government to be more proactive in preventing and battling wage discrimination, there is still more that needs to be done.

You can join the "Out of the Way of Fair Pay" campaign by signing the petition here.

Jen Nedeau Jen Nedeau is a media relations professional and a writer based in New York City.
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