Dear Mr. President February 18, 2013My BusinessOff

After alluding to the great impetus of the women’s rights movements, Seneca Falls, you declared, “Our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.”

Tomorrow will mark the 50 year anniversary of Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique, and we couldn’t agree more

Though encouraged by your 2009 signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, we’ve seen more comprehensive measures including the Paycheck Fairness Act die on the tangled Congressional vine.

There’s more you can do, and here’s where we’d like you to start:

Issue an Executive Order banning retaliation for salary inquiries. Secrecy is a big issue underlying the wage gap. In many workplaces, inquiring about salaries is a terminable offense. But if women don’t know to what extent male colleagues are out-earning them, how are they supposed to negotiate for more?

As Justice Brandeis once said, “Sunlight is said to be the best disinfectant.”

“We’re not asking for everyone’s salary to be disclosed,” says Lisa Maatz, top lobbyist for the American Association for University Women (AAUW). “We’re asking for an open environment.”

Convene a task force to examine the wage gap. We’d like a full-scale campaign – similar to initiatives for immigration reform and gun control – to examine the issues underlying the wage gap. From childcare affordability to latent stereotypes about women in the workplace, everything should be on the table.

Support paid family leave. Out of 178 countries, the U.S. is just one of three that does not offer paid maternity leave, not to mention paid paternity leave. Women are more likely than men to quit their jobs when they have a child or to care for a family member – a cycle perpetuated by the fact that women typically make less.

In 2012, women still earned just 82.2% of what men do.

Mr. President, are you listening?

Bonus PINK Link: Tapping the Third Billion.

Do you think the President is committed to real reform or just blowing hot air?

By Debra Shigley

Debra is a former employment attorney turned host of Deb’s Kitchen and author of The Go-Getter Girl’s Guide. You can visit her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @Debrashigley.

“No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.” Alice Walker

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