Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions
Floor Speech
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Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, today April 12, is Equal Pay Day. Equal Pay Day means women have to work more than 4 months longer to catch up to what, on average, men made in 2015. This significant pay disparity has been going on for decades--generations--even though it is against the law and has been against the law since the passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963.
The gender pay gap persists across all States and nearly all occupations. As we seek to build a 21st-century workforce, more than 73 million working women are at a disadvantage because of pay inequity and other barriers based on gender. While we have come a ways from the days of overt pay discrimination--such as in the 1930s, when the Federal Government, no less, required women to be paid 25 percent less than their male counterparts--the pay gap persists.
It is bad enough that women with equal education and experience get paid less, but it gets worse. A recent New York University study found that when women begin to enter predominately male occupations, pay in those fields decrease overall. For example, when women began to pursue careers in design, wages dropped more than 30 percent. When they entered careers in biology, wages dropped 18 percent. The study also showed the converse. When men entered fields previously dominated by women, such as computer programming, wages increased.
The bottom line is that these studies show that women's work is less valued than men's work. This discrimination won't change because we don't like it or because we hope it will. It will only begin to change if we take action. That is why I joined Senator Mikulski in continuing our call to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. This legislation would allow women to compare their salaries without fearing retaliation. How can a woman find out if there is pay discrimination going on in her workplace if she can't even find out what others are being paid? The bill would also require employers to prove that differences in pay for men and women doing the same work are not related to gender.
While the gender pay gap affects all women, this morning I want to focus on inequity in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math--also known as STEM. Nationally, we need to promote STEM to remain competitive in the global economy. STEM careers are among the highest paid positions and are some of the most sought after by employers. In order to keep our country's historical leadership in STEM over the next decade, economists say we need to create a million more STEM careers than we are currently creating. We will lose our competitive edge unless the number of women earning STEM degrees keeps pace with their growing share of the population. But, of course, women in the STEM fields earn less than men. For example, on average, women engineers earn just 82 percent of what their male counterparts earn. Female doctors' starting salaries are almost $20,000 less than their male counterparts, even after accounting for factors such as specialty and location.
In addition to facing lower wages, women in STEM must often overcome institutional barriers, cultural stereotypes, and sexual harassment. These barriers permeate every level of the STEM career pipeline. They start as early as middle school and continue throughout one's career and lead to women and minorities disproportionately giving up interest in STEM careers.
At the University of Hawaii at Manoa, men earned more than five times the number of computer science bachelor's degrees as women, and in the College of Engineering, men earned three times as many bachelor's degrees. These kinds of numbers in STEM education are not unique to Hawaii. Even when women overcome the odds and pursue careers in STEM fields, they continue to face gender biases that can affect the hiring, promotion, and career advancement for women in STEM. For instance, researchers found that women in STEM encountered bias judgments of their competence and the ability to be hired. They also received less faculty encouragement and financial rewards than identical male counterparts when negotiating salary packages.
Studies show that when women in STEM decide to become mothers, they are perceived as less competent and less committed to hard work and are offered fewer jobs and lower salaries. In comparison, men are not penalized for being fathers. If that wasn't enough, women in STEM often experience workplace harassment.
Recently, in the New York Times, University of Hawaii geobiology professor Hope Jahren shared an email that was sent to a former student from a male colleague who works in the same lab as the student. This email read in part this:
All I know is that from the first day I talked to you, there hadn't been a single day or hour when you weren't on my mind. That's just the way things are and you're gonna have to deal with me until one of us leaves.
In the age of social media, these kinds of totally inappropriate emails are all too common. According to Professor Jahren, this former student feels that she cannot rely on human resources because she heard stories from female colleagues about how sexual harassment happens ``all the time'' in their organization and that no action is taken.
These stories are all too common. Again, merely condemning this kind of environment is not enough. Merely hoping that change will occur is not enough. We can and must do more to even the playing field for women in STEM, and that is why I am introducing the STEM Opportunities Act today, so we can combat the systemic issues that can lead to women losing interest in STEM and leaving STEM careers basically in droves.
The STEM Opportunities Act helps Federal science agencies and institutions of higher education identify and share best practices to overcome barriers that can affect the inclusion of women and other underrepresented groups in STEM. The STEM Opportunities Act also allows universities and nonprofits to receive competitive grants and recognition for mentoring women and minorities in STEM fields. Mentoring programs such as the Maui Economic Development Board's Women in Technology Program and the Native Hawaiian Science and Engineering Mentorship Program at the University of Hawaii have seen tremendous success.
The Women in Technology Program supports those like Deanna Garcia, who was first introduced to STEM through Women in Technology and is now a mentor to girls who want to follow in her footsteps.
Deanna said:
Women in Technology gave me the skills, confidence, and support I needed. Because of their networking and strong ties within the community, I was not only able to find an internship, but a career in IT. Because of the Women in Technology program, I can also pay it forward to current students and show them during career days or tours I am a product of the program and hope to inspire them to pursue a path in STEM just like I did.
Deanna's story is just one of many successes that programs like Women in Technology have.
Hirono--April 12, 2016 Extension of Remarks: Testimonials From Hawaii STEM Mentoring Programs
maui economic development board women in technology program Deanna Garcia, TMDS-MSAT Analysis Team Manager, Akimeka LLC, A Subsidiary of VSE Corporation
``Technology and Engineering are known to be male dominated fields, however, the Women in Technology program empowered me to succeed in an IT Career. I got my start almost fifteen years ago because of the WIT program. They gave me the skills, confidence, and support I needed and because of their networking and strong ties within the community, I was not only able to find an internship, then job, but a career in IT. They also lead by example and have strong, driven, impactful women leading the way. Because of the WIT program, I can also pay it forward to current students and show them during career days or tours I'm a product of the program and hope to inspire them to pursue a path in STEM, just like I did.'' Kawai Hall, Integrity Applications Incorporated
``Since there are fewer women with technology-related degrees, it is harder for work industries to recruit women in these fields. I think Women In Technology is an amazing project to help bring awareness of STEM-related work opportunities to girls and women, especially here in Hawaii where it is prime. Our company is made of mostly men but I haven't felt the effect of gender in my workplace. Everyone works greatly as a team and helps each other advance in learning. But it would be great to have more females added to our workplace.'' Audrey Cabrera, Brown & Caldwell
``After having my second child I've had a hard time finding my balance and feeling like I am fulfilling my roles as employee, mother, and wife. Although we have come so far in terms of women in the professional workforce and specifically STEM careers, the statistics remain that a large portion of women migrate out of their STEM career in their 30's, when they are growing their families. My company is great, with fair pay and good benefits, but I feel that there are some double standards/expectations that probably aren't specific to my company, but in our society in general.'' Kimberly Vaituulala, Maui Electric Company (MECO) mentor for Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IGED)
``Society has taught young girls to care for their baby dolls or encouraged to play ``house'' with their Barbie dolls. Meanwhile boys are building structures with Legos and playing outside, messing around with their bikes to see what they can do to make it go faster or make it look and sound cooler as they ride by. This beginning transitions into college where the number of boys dominate science and math courses. For me, the significance of IGED is to show these young ladies that engineering/technology IS cool and it's not just for boys. IGED gives these ladies an opportunity to see real people working in STEM careers, and broadens the horizon for these up and coming females. Igniting a spark of interest in just one of the 15 girls in the group makes this effort completely worth it. . . .
``Women are physiologically and psychologically different from men. In order to solve the engineering problems of this world, the men cannot do it alone. It is vitally important for women (of all ages) to be exposed to and consider a career in engineering. The different perspective that women can bring to forth might be the key to making cold fusion a reality one day.
``In college I was one of three girls in my electrical engineering classes. But I know more girls are getting involved in STEM related fields and careers, and it can be attributed to programs like IGED. Sometimes girls need that extra push. Someone to tell them, ``Go! You can do it too!'' And as long as we can sustain STEM programs like IGED, this trend for girls will continue on upward.''
Native Hawaiian Science & Engineering Mentorship Program (NHSEMP),
University of Hawaii at Manoa Kaiho'olulu Rickard, mentee
``[NHSEMP] helped me focus on my studies and set goals. They got me started with a mentor who's been helping me out with choosing good projects to work on . . . I was introduced to [researcher] Lloyd French, and after that I really began to get involved in projects like MMIC, or Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit, and JPL, which is the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. . . .
``I've really gotten involved in what I'm doing here. My freshman year, my grades weren't so good. I had about a 2.0 GPA then. So, after I joined the program, I was given my own small office, and working with a mentor, basically helped me pull my GPA up to a 3.0 in two semesters.''
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Ms. HIRONO. I thank Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas. Her legislation laid the groundwork for the STEM Opportunities Act. I also wish to thank Senators Peters, Murray, Gillibrand, Blumenthal, Markey, Cantwell, Booker, Schatz, and Merkley for supporting this effort. Working together, I know we can do better, and I know we will ensure that women who want to pursue STEM careers can do so in a supportive environment without fear of harassment.
On Equal Pay Day, we are reminded of how far we have to go to achieve equality, and I urge my colleagues to support the Paycheck Fairness Act, the STEM Opportunities Act, and other legislation that will help close the gender gap in our workforce.
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