The Black Informant

Happy Momma’s Day!

Plain and simple. Thanks to all the mommas out there who do their part to help groom the next generation.

Deconstructing the “Equal Pay” argument

Steve Chapman wrote the following for Reason Magazine in his article entitled “The Truth About the Pay Gap: Feminist politics and bad economics”

[…]

On its face, the evidence in the AAUW study looks damning. “One year out of college,” it says, “women working full-time earn only 80 percent as much as their male colleagues earn. Ten years after graduation, women fall farther behind, earning only 69 percent as much as men earn.”

But read more, and you learn things that don’t get much notice on Equal Pay Day. As the report acknowledges, women with college degrees tend to go into fields like education, psychology and the humanities, which typically pay less than the sectors preferred by men, such as engineering, math and business. They are also more likely than men to work for nonprofit groups and local governments, which do not offer salaries that Alex Rodriguez would envy.

As they get older, many women elect to work less so they can spend time with their children. A decade after graduation, 39 percent of women are out of the work force or working part time — compared with only 3 percent of men. When these mothers return to full-time jobs, they naturally earn less than they would have if they had never left.

Even before they have kids, men and women often do different things that may affect earnings. A year out of college, notes AAUW, women in full-time jobs work an average of 42 hours a week, compared to 45 for men. Men are also far more likely to work more than 50 hours a week.

Buried in the report is a startling admission: “After accounting for all factors known to affect wages, about one-quarter of the gap remains unexplained and may be attributed to discrimination” (my emphasis). Another way to put it is that three-quarters of the gap clearly has innocent causes — and that we actually don’t know whether discrimination accounts for the rest.

I asked Harvard economist Claudia Goldin if there is sufficient evidence to conclude that women experience systematic pay discrimination. “No,” she replied. There are certainly instances of discrimination, she says, but most of the gap is the result of different choices. Other hard-to-measure factors, Goldin thinks, largely account for the remaining gap — “probably not all, but most of it.” (more…)

Today’s Working Girl

We have certainly come a long way from that 80’s flick “Working Girl”.

Women of Color Own 2.4 Million Business
By: Errol Mars
urbanhustler.com

According to the U.S. Census, 2.4 million (34%) of woman-owned businesses are owned by women of color (African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans).

As of 2002, there were nearly 7 million woman-owned businesses in the U.S. According to the U.S. Census, 2.4 million (34%) of those are owned by women of color (African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans).

This large group of minority business women are not just running traditional businesses like restaurants and hair salons. Many are running professional companies that offer a variety of services including: advertising, public relations, accounting, staffing, government contracting and more.

According to the National Association of Business Women and Moms (NABWM), women have also become incredibly active in the field of network marketing. Companies such as Mary Kay, Herbalife, Color Me Beautiful, Warm Spirit, and Isagenix have recruited a record amount of business women who now work as consultants and sales associates. It’s currently unknown, however, as to whether or not network marketing women are considered to be actual businesses owners. (more…)

Who will help groom this girl into a woman (4/20/08)

Meet Vantayshia a very creative child. Vantayshia loves music and loves to dance. Her favorite music to dance to is Rap or R&B. However, Vantayshia says that she loves all music..”except for Country.” In addition to her love of dance and music,Vantayshia expresses her creativity through drawing and coloring.

Vantayshia hobbies are to collect posters and stuffed toys (teddy bears). Vantayshia likes to be the boss. The previous school season she played the clarinet and was in the school band.

Vantayshia loves animals,especially snakes. When discussing the type of family she would like to live with,Vantayshia first stated that they must have pets. The most important thing that Vantayshia would like which has not changed over time, is a family to love her……a family to have fun with. Vantayshia needs a family who can give her a great deal of love,attention and stability. She needs to know that she is valuable and important to the family. (source)