Equal Pay Day to be observed Tuesday by BPW

To the editor:

On Tuesday, the River City Business and Professional Women's Club will join thousands of women across the United States in a national day of action against unfair pay called Equal Pay Day. Tuesday is symbolic of the point into the new week that a woman must work to earn the wages paid to a man in the previous week.

Nationally, women are paid only 76 cents for every dollar men are paid, according the U.S. Census Bureau. So women must work longer for the same pay.

In a time when America's economy is facing a downturn, every penny counts. Over a 40-year career, the average 25-year-old woman who works full-time will earn approximately $523,000 less than the average man. We are extremely concerned about pay inequity not only for ourselves, but for our families.

Fair pay takes real change, and we can make a difference. In Cape Girardeau, we will join BPW organizations across the nation to educate women and men about pay inequity and to offer solutions to wage discrimination.

BPW members will accept a proclamation from Mayor Jay Knudtson acknowledging Tuesday as Equal Pay Day in Cape Girardeau. The proclamation will further encourage the business community to review pay practices to ensure that women and all minority groups are not discriminated against by performing an equal page self-audit provided by the U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau.

LOIS STEWART

President

Jonesboro, Ill.

SUSAN SMITH

Vice President

Cape Girardeau

BRENDA NEUMEYER

Secretary

Jackson

River City Business and

Professional Women's Club