Some stats to show that we aren't there yet.. from a CNN article in December 2004:
On average, women make 78 percent of men's wages, according to a 2003 study by the U.S. Department of Labor. This is, however, a marked improvement over 25 years ago -- in 1979, women made 62 percent of what men earned
At the current rate of change, working women will not achieve equal pay until after the year 2050. That's almost 100 years after President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, prohibiting discrimination based on sex resulting in unequal pay for equal work.
The pay gap differs by race, with the earnings of white women being just 78 percent of those of white men; black women making 91 percent as much as their male counterparts; and Hispanic women earning 88 percent of what Hispanic men earn. The Rutgers School of Management Relations says this is primarily because white men still earn the most among all groups of workers.
Females doctors only earn 58 percent of their male counterparts' salaries. Even in predominantly female fields like nursing and teaching, women still earn less than men: female nurses earn 91 percent and female teachers earn 87 percent of what their male counterparts do.
The link:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Careers/1...ref=sitesearch
I believe this article shows that it has had a positive affect. I'm not convinced that without affirmative action in place, more people wouldn't be discriminated against based on race and/or gender. Just as I don't think the citizens of the US would elect a female or minority President, I don't think we're ready to ditch affirmative action.
And yes, the legal challenges are done and it is on the ballot billed as a Civil Rights Initiative, which most people I've talked to agree is a deceiving title for this proposal.
I believe the outcome will be determined by two factors:
1) Who gets out to vote
2) Whether the people who get out to vote actually understand what the proposal means
Hybrid Mode
