Women & Workplace Violations - Exploiting Us All
From Your (Wo)manInWashington blog
The (Wo)man in Washington is always looking for ways to level the playing field for women. After all, the structure of our society and economy impacts men and women in different ways, and it is not accidental. Women, especially those with children, make up the majority of those in poverty for a reason - the bearing of children and caring for the young, the old, and the disabled is devalued in our culture. Those who do it are exploited.
More evidence of this reality is revealed in the findings of "Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers: Violations of Employment and Labor Laws in America's Cities", a survey of over 4,000 low-wage workers in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. Acknowledging that more women than men are engaged in low wage work, their disproportionate experience of unfair treatment is still staggering.
Women reported the greatest frequency of illegal employer actions in every category. Over 30% of female resondents reported being paid less that the statutory minimum wage. The figure for men was 19.5%. Nearly 79% of women reported being compelled to work overtime, while 74.5% of men did. Almost 72% of women reported being forced to work off the clock, and over 74% reported being denied legally required meal breaks. The comparable figures for men were 67% and 64% respectively.
We'd all like to believe it's true that if you work hard and play by the rules, you will succeed in the United States. But data like that contained in this report suggests otherwise. Workplace violations do not occur with the same frequency throughout the workforce. Women are still paid less, work less, save less, and are subject to more illegal treatment by their employers than men.
In this recession, more women than ever are providing the only household income supporting their families. The effects of unfair work practices - forcing overtime, not getting paid, or being paid less than her due - hurt everyone dependent upon the worker, magnifying their impact. Hardly what you'd expect of this "work hard, play by the rules, and you'll succeed" nation.
The full text of the report is here.
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