skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Women's History Month: Women's Law Expert Sees Gains, More Work Needed

play audio
Play

Monday, March 31, 2008   

New York - As Women's History Month draws to a close today, some equal rights advocates point out that the advances have not entirely counteracted the lingering challenges for women, both in the workplace and the pocketbook. Jocelyn Samuels, of the National Women's Law Center, says despite gains in education, employment and politics, true equity is still far from reality.

"There continues to be a 'glass ceiling' in the workplace. On average, women make today only 77 cents for every dollar paid to men; the gap is even larger for women of color. Unfortunately, we still have our work cut out for us."

As an example, Samuels cites a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision that restricts employee challenges to pay discrimination.

"What that ruling means is, if any person who is subject to pay discrimination - be it women or men - does not file formal complaints within six months of the first discriminatory wage, they are forever after barred from challenging that pay discrimination."

She adds the ruling also could affect those who claim discrimination for other reasons, and New York's Congressional delegation is introducing legislation to supercede it.

Although it's been slow going, says Samuels, forty years after the U.S. Civil Rights Act, the movement for gender equality has made some important strides.

"The advances, to date, have been nothing short of stunning in their impact on, not only women, but their families and the men in their lives. Women can now get better jobs and support them in ways that women simply were not allowed to do previously."

In Albany, Samuels sees proposed legislation for paid family leave during maternity and illness as potential good news for women. The bill has passed the Assembly and is pending in the Senate.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021