Equal Pay Eludes California's Working Women, Lawmakers Say

Marking Equal Pay Day on Tuesday, female lawmakers sounded the alarm about the status of working women in California: From inequality in wages to lack of family friendly workplaces, the California Legislative Women’s Caucus says things have to change. And they have proposed legislation to do that.

Studies show that working women in California earn about 80 cents for every dollar men earn. The pay gap is larger for African-American and Hispanic women. To help combat that, Assemblywoman Susan Eggman has introduced a bill that would prohibit employers from asking job applicants about their salary history. Eggman said fields that women have historically worked in, like teaching or nursing, tend to pay less.

“Not only do we undervalue women in the workplace, but we undervalue the work that women do," Eggman said. "So if somebody goes from a traditional women’s type of employment into, say, law enforcement, if they have to look at what you were paid before and then compare it to what a man is paid, you’re never going to be equal.”

The caucus also sent a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown asking him to continue increasing child care provider rates in the coming budget; Brown has proposed putting the increases on hold.

"The deal that was made last year between both houses and the governor was a multiyear commitment to strengthen rates for child care providers," said Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia chairs the caucus. "Governor Brown is not keeping his promise."

Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson has introduced a measure she says will create more family friendly workplaces. It would require employers with 20 or more workers to allow eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected parental leave.

"When women are forced out of the job market to care for a child,  this impacts their wage and career growth for years to come and negatively impacts their family's economic prospects," she said. "We shouldn't force women to have to choose between caring for a child or working."

The caucus is also backing several bills it says will protect vulnerable communities. They include bills aimed at preserving rape kits, making diapers more affordable, encouraging cancer screenings and cracking down on sexual exploitation.