Give Moms a Fair Shake

Below is an email I received today from MomsRising. As a woman, I am disgusted by this. But, as a recruiter, I know that this is the work world's "dirty little secret." It seems being a mother is one of the FEW areas where companies still discriminate.


Dear MomsRising member -

This weekend I took a walk with a good friend of mine, Karen, who started a job about six months ago after being at home with her children for a few years. She was very upset because her boss assumed that all the calls coming in on her cell phone at work were from her kids, when, in fact, they were from business associates. She only found out about this criticism during her performance review. "I was completely floored."

Karen isn't alone in having negative assumptions made about her at work. It's not uncommon for mothers to be held harsher work performance standards than women without children. In fact, a new 2007 study shows this unequal treatment often starts in the hiring process. This study found that mothers are 79 percent less likely to be hired than non-mothers with the same resumes! Another study found that mothers are taken off the "management track" with fewer late days than non-mothers. These studies show a pattern of consistent discrimination against mothers at work, yet the recent Supreme Court ruling, Ledbetter vs. Goodyear, dramatically limits employee's ability to challenge discrimination. It's time to turn this trend around.

TAKE ACTION: Click here to send a message to Congress telling them that all of us should have protection from discrimination at work, and urging them to vote YES on H.R. 2831 to reverse the Ledbetter decision: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/momsrising/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=12206

KEEP THE HEAT ON: The Supreme Court's ruling in Ledbetter vs. Goodyear that discrimination claims must be made within 180 days after the pay is set is a major setback in women's rights. How many of us know what our co-workers make? In fact, many employers forbid employees from discussing their pay, making it all the more difficult to discover pay discrimination within the short time frame now required by the Supreme Court. Congress can remedy this injustice by clarifying the intent of Title VII and restoring the ability of workers harmed by discrimination to successfully hold their employers accountable. Otherwise, Title VII is just an empty promise.

Given the growing evidence that mothers are routinely subjected to discrimination at the workplace, we need Congress to act now to remedy the recent Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear. This workplace discrimination shows in pay gaps: Studies show that women without children make 90 cents to a man's dollar, mothers make 73 cents, and single mothers make only about 60 cents to a man's dollar. Yet in their decision, the Supreme Court denied Lilly Ledbetter the right to sue because she didn't realize that she was being discriminated against by being paid between 15% and 40 % less than her male counterparts on the management team until late in her 19 year career. In other words, they shut her out!

*Make sure Congress knows citizens support H.R. 2831 by forwarding this email to friends, family, book group, sports teams, and any other of your 500 favorite people! The Ledbetter Supreme Court ruling undermines our fundamental protection from discrimination based upon gender, race, and religion. This core protection must be restored, and members of Congress are working to do so. Let's show our support.

Don't forget to tell your representatives you support HR 2831, and urge them to vote YES when it comes before them: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/momsrising/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=12206

Best - Donna and the MomsRising Team


p.s. If you haven't signed in the past, check out our petition for equal pay for equal work at: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/momsrising/signUp.jsp?key=2302&t=petition.dwt

p.p.s. Click here to watch a new video of Lily Ledbetter, put up by People for the American Way, describing the discrimination she faced and calling on Congress to act: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhSFttshcPk

p.p.s.s. If you are experiencing discrimination at work because of your family responsibilities, call the Center for WorkLife Law Hotline at 1-800-981-9495 or email hotline@worklifelaw.org