The Debates- 2012

[GeorgiaGreek]

So... women don't have equal pay because they don't have access to birth control?

[AGDee]

A large part of the reason that women are held back in the work place is because they take time off of work to stay home with children or go on maternity leave. They don't get promotions because of that. So yes, it is more difficult for a woman with children to make what her co-workers make.

And don't forget.. they have to have flexible hours so they can be home to make dinner... WTF???

[thetalady]

Petty little thought.... the mother of the groom checks with the mother of the bride, so they don't wear the same color to the wedding. Wouldn't you think the candidates wives' could do the same?

OK, back to politics.....

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally Posted by AGDee

A large part of the reason that women are held back in the work place is because they take time off of work to stay home with children or go on maternity leave. They don't get promotions because of that. So yes, it is more difficult for a woman with children to make what her co-workers make.

And don't forget.. they have to have flexible hours so they can be home to make dinner... WTF???

I normally don't debate politics but even I was like WTF at that comment.

[moe.ron]

it should be a 4 way debate between Obama, Romney, Johnson and Stein.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by Honeykiss1974

I normally don't debate politics but even I was like WTF at that comment.

I honestly didn't think I heard it right until people started making comments about it on Facebook!

[GeorgiaGreek]

Originally Posted by AGDee

A large part of the reason that women are held back in the work place is because they take time off of work to stay home with children or go on maternity leave. They don't get promotions because of that. So yes, it is more difficult for a woman with children to make what her co-workers make.

It may be true that women in the workplace are making less because of maternity leave and taking time off to be with their children, etc., but how many of those children are the result unplanned/unwanted pregnancies due to lack of available contraception?

I think pay should be equal for equal work, and I think contraception should be available and affordable, but I don't think the two are as heavily related as the President implied. If contraception and abortions were all made free and accessible, I don't think this would make a even a small dent in the pay gap. They are two separate issues, and they need to be addressed with separate plans.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaGreek

It may be true that women in the workplace are making less because of maternity leave and taking time off to be with their children, etc., but how many of those children are the result unplanned/unwanted pregnancies due to lack of available contraception?

I think pay should be equal for equal work, and I think contraception should be available and affordable, but I don't think the two are as heavily related as the President implied. If contraception and abortions were all made free and accessible, I don't think this would make a even a small dent in the pay gap. They are two separate issues, and they need to be addressed with separate plans.

All of this.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaGreek

It may be true that women in the workplace are making less because of maternity leave and taking time off to be with their children, etc., but how many of those children are the result unplanned/unwanted pregnancies due to lack of available contraception?

I think pay should be equal for equal work, and I think contraception should be available and affordable, but I don't think the two are as heavily related as the President implied. If contraception and abortions were all made free and accessible, I don't think this would make a even a small dent in the pay gap. They are two separate issues, and they need to be addressed with separate plans.

Oh, I disagree. The birth control pill becoming widely available was a major development for women in the workplace. In fact, as soon as the question was asked, I said out loud "Talk about birth control!" This may be overlooked by a lot of people who aren't familiar with the history of the women's movement, but the pill's economic impact in undeniable.

Here are a couple of links (I'll give you one from the left and one from the right) that discuss it:

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/20...t-of-the-pill/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanca...ey-healthcare/

[AGDee]

I agree the association is loose.

YAY!!!!!!! Tigers!!!!!!!!

<back to our regularly scheduled debate discussion>

It is very difficult to determine how many women this affects directly. However, Obama did get an Equal Pay bill passed already.

[DubaiSis]

Also, and I think primarily, gas is traded on the stock market. People and corporations who buy and sell those stocks affect the price at the pump more than anything else, in my opinion. Availability of oil has virtually nothing to do with the price at the pump. The price is not based on scarcity of the product but on the scarcity of the stocks. Now, when the oil companies say they don't set the price, they are victim of the stock market, that is hugely disingenuous because they are the major stock holders. They benefit from the stock price and then again from the price at the pump. And then again from government subsidies and tax breaks.

[AGDee]

I do think it is hard to separate the pill's entrance into the market with the other civil rights movements going on at the time though. I do know it was the end of the baby boom because my brother is a Boomer and I am not. His high school class had over 1000 kids in it. Mine was 700. The one below me was 400.

The attempted passing of the Equal Right's Amendment and the significant push for equal working rights happened shortly after the pill came on the market. It really is hard to separate them. But the pill does allow us much more independence, choice and freedom to choose when we become mothers.

ETA: My mom was a bank teller when she got pregnant with my brother in 1961. She was told she would have to quit when she started showing and wearing maternity clothes. Yes, that was legal. Yes, it happened all the time. We have come a long way baby.

[AGDee]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BBEXB1Wf9c

This is kind of funny... if you are an Obama supporter.