There are many reasons that providing equal pay for equal work makes sense. When responsibilities and skill sets are the same, why would it make sense to pay a woman less? The truth is that it happens every day, all over Virginia and in our own communities.
In these days of outrage at the way women are treated by the men like Harvey Weinstein, we talk a lot about a woman’s right to dignity. Dignity for women does not end with stopping sexual assault and harassment. What is more central to a person’s dignity than the ability to earn a fair wage?
There are some specific common sense policies that should be adopted to support wage equity, and we need leaders in the Virginia General Assembly who will work across the aisle to put those policies in place. We need leaders who will identify specific practical solutions that provide employees access to salary information and give women a clear path to fight pay inequity in the legal system.
Del. Kathleen Murphy (D-34) is a pragmatic leader who stands firmly for equal pay for women. And, most importantly, she has proven that she knows how to work across the aisle to get things done.
Fairness and equal rights are two of the most revered tenets of our American Democracy. Call me an optimist, but I believe that there are people of good will on both sides of the aisle who can come together to do the right thing on this important issue.
Taryn Dollings
McLean