40% of private sector workers have not one paid sick day.i
80% of minimum wage workers are adults; 59% are women.ii
Women are More than Twice as Likely as Men to Work in Occupations with Poverty Wages.iii
For a lifetime of work, the estimated lost income resulting from the gender wage gap for a full time working woman could pay for the cost of feeding a family of four for almost 37 years.iv
Servers, who are 71 percent female, experience almost three times the poverty rate of the workforce as a whole. Consequently, servers rely on food stamps at nearly double the rate of the general population.v
High school graduates earned an average of $22,468 a year in 2010. Individuals who earn an associate’s degree see their incomes rise 38%, and those who earn a bachelor degree see their incomes rise 78%.vi
If workers were offered seven paid sick days a year, our national economy would experience a net savings of $160 billion a year due to increased productivity and reduced turnover.vii
i “The need for paid sick days,” Economic Policy Institute, webpage: http://www.epi.org/.... Accessed 5/9/12.
ii“The Facts about Minimum Wage,” Center for American Progress, January 2007: http://www.americanprogress.org/.... Accessed 5/9/12.
iiiHegewisch, Williams, & Harbin, “The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation,” Institute for Women’s Policy Research, April 2012, http://www.iwpr.org/.... Accessed 5/9/12.
iv “Infographic: The Gender Pay Gap,” Center for American Progress, April 16, 2012. http://www.americanprogress.org/.... Accessed 5/9/12.
v “Tipped Over the Edge: Gender Inequity in the Restaurant Industry,” Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, 2/13/12, page 1.
vi “Single Mothers and College Success: Creating Paths Out of Poverty,” Women Employed, 2012. www.womenemployed.org/fileadmin/templates/docs/Kellogg_SingleMothers_FINAL.pdf. Accessed 5/9/12.
vii “Quick Facts,” The National Partnership for Women and Families, webpage: http://www.nationalpartnership.org/.... Accessed 5/9/12.