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ikkyu2 (99.46)

Gender gap wage disparity

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December 14, 2012 – Comments (10)

Every so often you hear about gender gap wage disparity.  Women make less than men at nearly any job you care to name.

I run a small shop.  This year, two employees have come to me after taking their FMLA leave to have a baby, and notified me that they did not intend to return to work.  When I asked why, they pointed out that the value of the benefits paid them by the state to be an unemployed stay-at-home parent exceeded the amount they were going to get paid for doing work daily, by a considerable margin; even before factoring in the cost of babysitting.  These were key employees in our little firm; one of them I had been training and mentoring daily for two years.  Their replacements, hired on two weeks' notice, frankly suck.

Luckily, here in California I pay a tax, called Employment Training Tax, on every payroll.  I am still trying to figure out how to access it to get a subsidy, so I can have some breathing room financially to train employees to do the jobs that are being lost because the State of California is incentivizing my workers to quit.  (This paragraph is a joke; CA ETT is not for employers who make jobs; it is only for the benefit of unemployed people.)

I am, of course, prohibited from considering gender in hiring decisions.  That is very fortunate; otherwise an injustice might occur to someone.  You wouldn't want this story I have told to end up being unfair to anyone.   No, not at all.  It must end up a win-win for everyone. 

10 Comments – Post Your Own

#1) On December 14, 2012 at 8:21 PM, NOTvuffett (< 20) wrote:

ikkyu2, I see you minored in sarcasm in college, lol.

 

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#2) On December 15, 2012 at 12:50 AM, rd80 (99.13) wrote:

Following to see if anyone asks about applying for one of the jobs.

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#3) On December 15, 2012 at 4:12 AM, thecherryz (94.76) wrote:

You just discouraged me rd80.  lol.

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#4) On December 15, 2012 at 6:13 AM, ikkyu2 (99.46) wrote:

Haha!  I am a pretty good boss to work for, but this has been an awful year for me; what I'm writing about here was one of the more minor blows.

I really believe that women deserve equal pay, equal opportunity and access to affordable childcare.  I was sort of gutted to find out that State of CA was going to make an offer to these people to not work, which I couldn't match.  Obvs. there were personal decisions on my employees' part too; the employee I really miss, the one I was mentoring, said that now that she's seen how awesome it is to have a baby she wants to have as many as she can.  

I think writing a post that sounds like it's off a crazy Mitt Romney supporter's bulletin board was not the right way for me to handle this. 

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#5) On December 15, 2012 at 7:11 AM, NOTvuffett (< 20) wrote:

lol ikkyu2, don't you think "women in sensible shoes" should be entitled to the same benefits?  What are you? a misogynist or a homophobe?, lol.

 

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#6) On December 15, 2012 at 8:51 AM, devoish (98.76) wrote:

Ikkyu

 Im curious. Exactly how much and what is Califonia giving those moms to stay home that you cannot match?

Best wishes,

Steven 

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#7) On December 15, 2012 at 2:52 PM, ikkyu2 (99.46) wrote:

Healthcare, unemployment benefits, and essentially a stipend of some kind - not sure what it's called, I think it's part of WIC - for moms to help take care of their kids - all of them totally beneficial programs that help moms take care of their kids.

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#8) On December 15, 2012 at 2:53 PM, ikkyu2 (99.46) wrote:

As far as how much, I don't know, I just know that both ladies said it "doesn't make sense" to give up those things in order to work.

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#9) On December 15, 2012 at 6:55 PM, devoish (98.76) wrote:

You know what you paid them though, right? Do you mind saying how much they were getting that Ca had to beat to keep them home?

Best wishes,

Steven 

 

 

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#10) On December 17, 2012 at 11:58 AM, lemoneater (88.28) wrote:

Hope 2013 works out better for you!

I can understand moms wanting to stay home with their kids, yet I wish it were not at the taxpayer's expense.

I was one of the ones who decided not to have children because of lack of funds in our early years of marriage. We've been criticized for our choice to be responsible. Somehow the advice-- quit work--have children--the money will come seemed rather dodgy to us. Welfare was not an acceptable option--welfare is for the genuinely needy. Faith is one thing--presumption is another. I'm old-fashioned and I believe that as much as possible one should pay one's own way and provide for one's own family. I'm modern in the sense that I believe the woman should take an active part in finances. Somehow the days of a comfortable single middle class income family seems to have gone the route of Mrs. Cleever and her pearls. 

I'm amazed at how casual acquaintances have been so opinionated as to my marriage and family since in my case they are not paying. 

Being responsible can mean that others benefit at your expense, ikkuyu2. However, I'd rather be a giver than a taker.

Wishing you a productive, happier year! Lemoneater.

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