DENVER – Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Udall on Thursday joined a panel of women to discuss gender inequality and economic opportunity, though some on the panel believe the message should be aimed at men as well.
The meeting at Metro State University of Denver was part of Udall’s “Women’s Policy Network,” which the senator launched in 2013, including roundtables and listening sessions with Colorado women.
The meetings have been held amid a continuing polarizing political debate about gender equality. The conversation usually revolves around a “war on women,” in which Democrats paint Republicans as waging a war on issues such as reproductive health care. In the tight U.S. Senate race between Udall and Republican U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner, the female vote will be critical.
“Some of you ... have told me that you don’t think it’s fair that Colorado women earn, on average, just 79 cents to every dollar that their male counterparts make for the same work. Neither do I,” Udall said.
The senior Democratic senator noted he co-sponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would update the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to offer greater enforcement tools and eliminate loopholes that often lead to inadequate remedies. The measure has met Republican opposition.
“It’s a common-sense piece of legislation that will empower women to negotiate for equal pay and close loopholes that promote pay discrimination,” Udall said.
Tied to the conversation is the debate about raising the minimum wage, something else Udall supports. He said women are expressing difficulty getting by. A bill to boost the federal minimum wage to $10.10 from its current rate of $7.25 an hour died in the Senate.
“Since women make up two-thirds of minimum-wage workers, raising that minimum wage will have a positive effect, not just on Colorado women, but on their families, and frankly, for all of us,” Udall said.
Similarly, he said student-loan debt is also impacting women significantly because of excessively high interest rates. Udall supports a measure that would allow students and graduates to refinance their loans at lower rates.
“(Student debt) prevents some women from buying a home, taking a risk and starting a business, and just having additional financial freedom and flexibility,” Udall said.
Virginia McCarver, founder of Denver-based communications firm Gavia Strategies, said it is not enough to discuss the issues among women. The panel Thursday included seven women and Udall, and the audience was almost solely comprised of women.
McCarver pointed out that economists estimated the wage gap in 2012 to be about $12,000 between men and women. That gap grows during the course of a woman’s career, McCarver said.
“It’s not just important to me, it’s important to other people in my household, it’s important to my family,” she said. “I might be a little bit irked about the wage gap, to put it lightly, but you know who gets really fired up? My husband.
“We really need to stop talking about the wage gap just as a woman’s issue and really get the other people involved in this conversation,” McCarver added.
Ouray County Commissioner Lynn Padgett also joined the panel, discussing issues in rural areas, including Southwest Colorado. She noted problems finding licensed day care facilities and access to broadband.
If a woman in rural Colorado wants to work in an office, then she needs child care, Padgett said. If they want to work from home so that they can still watch the kids, then they need quality broadband.
Add to that the high cost of living in rural parts of the state, and Padgett said household budgets can get very complicated.
“Imagine being a young family getting started and having that sort of cost of living as a barrier right away,” Padgett said. “Rural Colorado and women in particular, we need flexibility.”
The conversation, Udall said, should not be phrased in terms of a “war on women.” It should be framed in terms of equality and progress.
“I never coined the term ‘war on women,’” he said. “I don’t see it that way. I see it as creating more opportunity for women so that our society can be the strongest, healthiest and most productive society.”
pmarcus@durangoherald.com
