Latest news with #630
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House lawmakers reintroduce legislation to close Pennsylvania's gender earnings gap
Rep. Roni Green (D-Philadelphia) speaks at a rally for equal pay for women Monday, March 17, 2025, at the Pennsylvania Capitol. (Capital-Star/Peter Hall) Women in Pennsylvania earn less than men by a wider margin than the nation as a whole. Legislation reintroduced in the state House aims to close the gender pay gap. When the commonwealth first passed a law to address gender discrimination in the workplace in 1959, women earned 59 cents for each dollar earned by men. Since then the gap has narrowed, Rep. Jennifer O'Mara (D-Delaware) said, but women are still at a disadvantage in the workplace. 'Closing the gender wage gap isn't just about fairness, it's about acknowledging and repairing systemic biases that perpetuate inequality in the workplace,' O'Mara said at a rally Monday at the state Capitol. 'It's time to accelerate progress towards true equality by demanding equal pay and equal opportunities for all individuals.' According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women in Pennsylvania earned 82.4% of men's wages in 2023. That's below the national average of 83.6% and four of the commonwealth's six neighboring states. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE O'Mara and Rep. Melissa Schusterman (D-Chester) are co-sponsors of House Bill 630, which would explicitly prohibit employers from paying workers less because of their gender, race or ethnicity and protect workers from retaliation in wage discrimination matters. It would also bar prospective employers from using an applicant's pay history to set their wages. House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia) recalled as a young lawyer applying for a job, she was asked how much she wanted to be paid. After seven years in university and law school, she had no idea how to negotiate for a salary. 'No one explained … to make sure you're getting paid what they would pay a man,' McClinton said 'It's unacceptable that in Women's History Month in this commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we are stuck with these inequities.' Legislation similar to H.B. 630 passed in the House last May but was not considered in the GOP-controlled Senate. Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana) and President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) did not respond to emails to their offices. The gender pay gap is wider for women of color, Annmarie Pinarski, staff attorney with the Women's Law Project, said. 'Black women in Pennsylvania typically earn only 65 cents for every dollar, a figure that drops to 57 cents for Latinas, who represent the fastest growing population in the commonwealth,' Pinarski said. Using a job applicant's salary history perpetuates inequality, Pinarski said, noting that lawmakers haven't updated the state equal pay law since 1967. Meanwhile, 21 other states and numerous cities, including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, have enacted bans on the practice. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Does the Pennsylvania Legislature believe that rural women don't deserve the same protection? Meanwhile, poverty rates in rural Pennsylvania are already higher than in urban areas,' Pinarski said. Schusterman used a Wawa soft pretzel as a visual aid representing one dollar earned by men. She broke off pieces to demonstrate the significance of the gap until only about half the pretzel remained, representing what Latina women earn compared to men. That affects households as a whole, Schusterman noted, meaning families have less money for clothing, car payments, retirement or vacations. 'The women in your households are earning less money, and it's about time your wife or partner made the same amount of money as her male coworker for this same work,' Schusterman said. O'Mara said the difference in earnings translates to an average of $10,000 less per year. 'As someone raised by a single mom, I can't imagine what that additional $10,000 would have done and meant for our family,' O'Mara said. With the cost of child care and no requirement for employers to offer paid family leave, O'Mara said the burden falls disproportionately to women. 'The harsh economic reality that we live in means that women are choosing to stay home rather than work because it's cheaper to do so,' she said. 'That is not a reality that we should be living in in the year 2025. Women should never have to choose between contributing to the workforce or their families.'
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House lawmakers reintroduce legislation to close Pennsylvania's gender earnings gap
Rep. Roni Green (D-Philadelphia) speaks at a rally for equal pay for women Monday, March 17, 2025, at the Pennsylvania Capitol. (Capital-Star/Peter Hall) Women in Pennsylvania earn less than men by a wider margin than the nation as a whole. Legislation reintroduced in the state House aims to close the gender pay gap. When the commonwealth first passed a law to address gender discrimination in the workplace in 1959, women earned 59 cents for each dollar earned by men. Since then the gap has narrowed, Rep. Jennifer O'Mara (D-Delaware) said, but women are still at a disadvantage in the workplace. 'Closing the gender wage gap isn't just about fairness, it's about acknowledging and repairing systemic biases that perpetuate inequality in the workplace,' O'Mara said at a rally Monday at the state Capitol. 'It's time to accelerate progress towards true equality by demanding equal pay and equal opportunities for all individuals.' According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women in Pennsylvania earned 82.4% of men's wages in 2023. That's below the national average of 83.6% and four of the commonwealth's six neighboring states. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE O'Mara and Rep. Melissa Schusterman (D-Chester) are co-sponsors of House Bill 630, which would explicitly prohibit employers from paying workers less because of their gender, race or ethnicity and protect workers from retaliation in wage discrimination matters. It would also bar prospective employers from using an applicant's pay history to set their wages. House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia) recalled as a young lawyer applying for a job, she was asked how much she wanted to be paid. After seven years in university and law school, she had no idea how to negotiate for a salary. 'No one explained … to make sure you're getting paid what they would pay a man,' McClinton said 'It's unacceptable that in Women's History Month in this commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we are stuck with these inequities.' Legislation similar to H.B. 630 passed in the House last May but was not considered in the GOP-controlled Senate. Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana) and President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) did not respond to emails to their offices. The gender pay gap is wider for women of color, Annmarie Pinarski, staff attorney with the Women's Law Project, said. 'Black women in Pennsylvania typically earn only 65 cents for every dollar, a figure that drops to 57 cents for Latinas, who represent the fastest growing population in the commonwealth,' Pinarski said. Using a job applicant's salary history perpetuates inequality, Pinarski said, noting that lawmakers haven't updated the state equal pay law since 1967. Meanwhile, 21 other states and numerous cities, including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, have enacted bans on the practice. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Does the Pennsylvania Legislature believe that rural women don't deserve the same protection? Meanwhile, poverty rates in rural Pennsylvania are already higher than in urban areas,' Pinarski said. Schusterman used a Wawa soft pretzel as a visual aid representing one dollar earned by men. She broke off pieces to demonstrate the significance of the gap until only about half the pretzel remained, representing what Latina women earn compared to men. That affects households as a whole, Schusterman noted, meaning families have less money for clothing, car payments, retirement or vacations. 'The women in your households are earning less money, and it's about time your wife or partner made the same amount of money as her male coworker for this same work,' Schusterman said. O'Mara said the difference in earnings translates to an average of $10,000 less per year. 'As someone raised by a single mom, I can't imagine what that additional $10,000 would have done and meant for our family,' O'Mara said. With the cost of child care and no requirement for employers to offer paid family leave, O'Mara said the burden falls disproportionately to women. 'The harsh economic reality that we live in means that women are choosing to stay home rather than work because it's cheaper to do so,' she said. 'That is not a reality that we should be living in in the year 2025. Women should never have to choose between contributing to the workforce or their families.'
Express Tribune
06-03-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
SBP reserves increase by $27m
Listen to article The State Bank of Pakistan's (SBP) foreign exchange reserves increased by $27 million, reaching $11.25 billion during the week ending February 28, 2025. According to the latest data, the total liquid foreign reserves held by the country stood at $15.87 billion as of February 28, 2025. Of this, the SBP holds $11.25 billion, while commercial banks hold $4.62 billion. Meanwhile, gold prices fell in Pakistan, mirroring a drop in international rates. In the local market, the price per tola declined by Rs3,000 on Thursday, settling at Rs304,000. According to the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA), the price of 10-gram gold dropped by Rs2,571 to Rs260,630. On Wednesday, gold prices had increased by Rs700 per tola, closing at Rs307,000. Internationally, gold prices also saw a decline on Thursday. As per APGJSA, the international rate for Pakistan stood at $2,893 per ounce (including a $20 premium), marking a $28 decrease for the day. Globally, gold prices dipped due to rising US Treasury yields and profit-taking, while market attention turned to payroll data for insights into the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. Spot gold fell 0.2% to $2,912.82 an ounce as of 1442 GMT after rising for the past three sessions. US gold futures also dropped 0.2% to $2,921.50. "We are just seeing some mild profit-taking pressure from recent gains. The underlying fundamentals are still bullish Another thing that's putting some mild pressure on the gold market is a rise in bond yields," said Jim Wyckoff, a senior market analyst at Kitco Metals. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury yields hit a one-week high, reducing the appeal of non-yielding gold. Amid geopolitical uncertainties, gold, a global safe-haven, has gained over 10% year-to-date and hit a record high of $2,956.15 on February 24. The US imposed a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada on Tuesday, along with further duties on Chinese goods. However, the White House confirmed on Wednesday that automakers from Canada and Mexico would be exempt from these tariffs for a month, subject to compliance with existing free trade rules. The Pakistani rupee saw a slight gain against the US dollar, appreciating 0.02% in the interbank market on Thursday. By the end of the trading session, the rupee stood at 279.82, marking an increase of 5 paisa from its previous close of 279.87 on Wednesday. Globally, the euro reached a four-month high against the US dollar. This surge was driven by a rise in European bond yields following Germany's proposal for a 500 billion ($539.85 billion) infrastructure fund and revisions to borrowing limits.
