Sisters who bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan

This week figures were released that here in New Mexico as around the country women have to work a year and four months to earn the same as a man. The rate here in Albuquerque where most of the state’s population lives is .78 cents to the dollar. For Hispanic women the news is even worst the rate is .54 cents to the dollar. Women need to be able to stand up and demand more pay which is difficult in a “at will employment state” like New Mexico. Jobs that are mostly dominated by women such as teaching should be paid more because they still need to receive college degrees in order to work in those fields. We need to put an end to paying male dominated fields more than female dominated fields because it devalues the hard work that women do everyday of the year.

Senator John McCain could not be bothered to take time from his demanding campaign schedule to vote for a bill that would help women receive fair treatment for wage discrimination. Both democratic candidates took valuable time off from their campaigns to support the bill which failed because of republican senators. Women need to understand that the Republican Party does not value them and will not support their issues in this country. We need to support candidates of both genders that support our issues of equal pay for equal work no matter what the job title says.

Today is Take Your Daughter to Work day. I sent my twelve year old daughter to work with a family friend who is a judge in the state district court. Judge Carl J. Butkus is very good with children and has always been a good friend to my daughter. My daughter’s father died before she was born and I wanted someone in her life that she could look up to as smart, kind, honest, and good at what he did for a living. I want my daughter to see that women can earn as much as men and that no field should be kept from women. I want her to understand that she can do anything she wants with her life and the only person that can stop her is herself. I don’t want my daughter to grow up to be a teacher like me because I want her to earn enough to have a comfortable life. Education is a field that will never provide that in this state because New Mexico does not value it teachers and like a few other states most likely never will in the future. I opted to be an educator with the full understanding that I would never earn as much as people who work in the industry that I train my students to enter. I could be out in the industry making more money but I care about the education of our children. It is too bad that our country does not care about the education of our children. This year we can change that fact by electing a democratic lead senate and a democratic president. If we want our daughters to grow up and earn more money then us we need to stand with the party that supports our issues.