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Equal Pay for Women and Men
McCain
‘I’m committed to making sure there is equal pay for equal work…. You can count on it.’
His
stand: Opposed the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would have made it
easier for women to sue their employers for paying them less than men
doing similar work; his campaign said the bill would lead to a swarm of
new lawsuits.
Expert view:
Observers know that McCain opposes big-government solutions. So ‘he is
not pursuing the goal of pay equity as a senator,’ says Vicky Lovell,
Ph.D., of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Institute for Women’s Policy
Research.
Obama
‘I don’t accept an America where a woman earns less than a man for the same work.’
His
stand: Returned to the U.S. Senate from the campaign trail to vote for
the Ledbetter Act. He cosponsored another bill that would require
employers to disclose their pay scales; his rationale is that doing so
would help women more easily determine whether they are being
discriminated against.
Expert
view: ‘He has sponsored and voted for policies that would enhance pay
equity,’ says Lovell. ‘Obama’s actions as senator are in line with his
pronouncements as a candidate.’