According to the U.S. Census, women were paid only 77 cents for every dollar a man earned last year. And my husband is mad as hell about it. That’s because he is part of a growing trend of men who have opted out of the workforce to raise their children and manage their households.
April 22 is Equal Pay Day and the day’s organizers want us to understand that equal pay is a family issue -- not just a woman’s issue. That is certainly the case for families like mine where the woman is the sole breadwinner. (The U.S. Census reported 15,000 men stayed at home last year to care for their families.) That is the case for two-income families that need both incomes to make ends meet. That is the case for female, same-sex couples where one or both women work. That is the case for all of society who will share the burden as underpaid women struggle to afford healthcare, childcare, housing costs and retirement.
