Posted on 04/22/2007 4:35:55 PM PDT by Lorianne
At least five restaurants here say they will drop prices for women patrons by 23 percent Tuesday to reflect a conclusion that American women, on average, earn that much less than men.
"I was in the corporate world before we moved to Baker City," said Brandi Ulrey, who with her husband Jake owns the Baker City Cafe.
"I understand how it is to earn a smaller paycheck than a man." The cafe will be joined by the Main Event, Little Pig, Chamealeon and L&J Deli.
The event sponsor, the American Association of American Women, says 23 percent of the year will have passed, and that that's how many extra days women would have to work this year to make what similarly trained and educated men would make. The association has a Baker County chapter.
The advocacy organization plans to release a study on pay equity Monday.
Ulrey said the discount is more about creating awareness than making a difference in a life.
"There are so many women who are in the same boat. It's our duty as business owners and leaders in the community to make people understand the disparity," she said.
Jay Raffety, owner of The Main Event, says he is fully supportive.
"This is a good thing the AAUW is doing," he said. "We're hoping quite a few women will come in that day."
Liz Estabrooks, the local event organizer, said many working women shy away from pushing the pay equity issue for fear of being fired.
"Pay equity is protected by law, but it's like sexual harassment," she said. "Women tend not to fight it because they might lose their job."
An AAUW survey concludes that many employers are unwilling to promote young women because they may leave to have children and may prioritize family over work.
"It's always been used as an excuse, that women are on a different career track," Estabrooks said. "It's also been used as an excuse not to hire women, because they'd just quit anyway or at least take time off to have their babies. It's a lot like the illegal alien issue," she added.
"Bosses figure they'll pay you less because you'll take less. Then people get mad at them because they will work for less."
How about these commie women consider this fact...
The share of household income from the 50’s to today, from higher combined taxes (fed,state,local, etc.), is about par with what the typical women in makes as a second household income.
CUT THE DAMN TAXES and many of these women would not HAVE to work if they so desired.
I wonder who the owners of these restaurants are? Can they really afford to have half their clientele suddenly pay 23% less? It sounds like they have more money than they have sense. However, if they *are* making so much money, why don’t they use their profits to expand their business and only hire women (or predominantly women)?
Finally, wouldn’t you just love to be a man being served at one of these restaurants? Just the knowledge of how much contempt these kooks had for me would turn me off...no thanks!
A contentious woman is like a lifelong toothache.
-Proverbs
I predict these restaurants will become lesbian (am I allowed to say that?) establishments - intentionally or not.
Oregon has gone off the deep end.
Isn’t it against the law to charge people differently based on gender (okay skip insurance rates as this is tied to mortality tables) and race?
I would think this is illegal discrimination.
How about charging less for male exotic dancers? I don’t know of any making more than female exotic dancers. Also male nurses.
“CUT THE DAMN TAXES and many of these women would not HAVE to work if they so desired.”
You are correct, but then the nanny state educators would have to compete with moms again.
The article says that the American Association of American Women sponsored the event. I’d guess that the businesses didn’t lose a thin dime.
And retirees!
They should have a completely sliding scale, and charge a percentage based on what your latest tax return shows, compared to Bill Gates taken as 100%.
"Home of the 'homeless eat free' former business!"
What about the children most of them have no income, will they provide free food for them?
Okay, let me get this right...if my wife comes into one of these restaurants to eat, she's going to get 23% off her bill because she allegedly makes 23% less than a man in a similar job?
Works for me. We'll go in together, get the working woman discount...shoot, I'll even pick up the tab, just to show what a mensch I am. /sarc (Just because I know someone is going to read it and not get it...)
You shouldn’t hold grudges for so long. If you want to bash Oregon you would do better to point out that we sent Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith to the Senate. Our most recent electoral atrocities.
Use your imagination.
Now why do I find this demeaning?
All animals are equal but some are more equal than others. Standard barnyard political philosophy.
I am thinking of having our admin. assistant go to lunch with all of the Dept. and we will have her order 12 lunches and we ALL get the discount. Yes she should be paid more, but then so should I, “you gets what you can gets”
It's only fair. It's only communism!
Yep. If I owned a restaurant, I wouldn’t let women pick up the tabs.
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