Page A8
OCT. 28, 1998
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ne IJitfrilatth
Report Reveals Wide Ways Gap
for Oregon's Woipep
E v e ry tim e an O re g o n
w om an o pens her p ay ch eck ,
sh e s e e s tw o p e n a ltie s - s h e ’s
p e n a liz e d 28 p e r c e n t fo r b e ­
in g a w o m a n a n d g e ts an e x ­
tra th r e e p e r c e n t p e n a lty fo r
liv in g in O r e g o n .
T h a t ’s th e c o n c lu s io n o f a
new r e p o r t is s u e d to d a y
( O c t . 2 2 ) b y th e I n s t i t u t e fo r
W o m e n ’s P o lic y R e s e a rc h
(IW P R ) in W a s h in g to n , D C .
E n title d “ T he S ta tu s o f
W o m e n in O r e g o n ,” th e r e ­
p o r t w as c o - p u b lis h e d b y th e
U n iv e r s ity o f O r e g o n C e n te r
fo r th e S tu d y o f W o m e n in
S o c ie ty (C S W S ).
A c c o r d in g to th e IW P R r e ­
p o r t, w o m e n in th e U n ite d
S ta te s a re p a id s l i g h t l y m o re
th a n 72 c e n ts f o r e v e r y d o l ­
la r m e n a re p a id . T h e w a g e
g ap is th r e e c e n ts w o r s e in
O r e g o n , w h ic h r a n k s in th e
b o tto m t h i r d o f s t a t e s fo r
w a g e e q u ity .
T h e s itu a tio n is e s p e c ia lly
b a d fo r th e le a s t e d u c a te d O r ­
e g o n w o m e n . T h e re p o r t fin d s
th a t th e r e a l e a r n in g s o f O r ­
e g o n w o m e n w i t h o u t h ig h
s c h o o l d ip lo m a s d r o p p e d 26
p e r c e n t in th e la s t tw o d e ­
c a d e s , a n d th e y a re p a id o n ly
62 c e n ts fo r e v e r y d o lla r p a id
to m e n w h o d i d n ’t g r a d u a te
fro m h ig h s c h o o l.
In a d d i t i o n , th e s t u d y
fo u n d s ig n ific a n t w age gaps
b e tw e e n r a c i a l a n d e th n ic
g r o u p s . M e d ia n in c o m e s fo r
A f r ic a n A m e r ic a n s , H is p a n ­
ic s a n d N a tiv e A m e r ic a n s a re
b e tw e e n 67 p e r c e n t a n d 75
p e r c e n t o f th o s e o f w h ite
f a m ilie s .
T h e s e f in d in g s a re a m o n g
th e m o st s tr ik in g in th e new
r e p o r t, w h ic h u se d n a tio n a l
d a t a s o u r c e s to c o m p a r e
w o m e n in th e 50 s ta te s an d
th e D i s tr ic t o f C o lu m b ia on a
ra n g e o f in d ic a to r s o f p o l i t i ­
c a l p a r tic ip a tio n , e m p lo y ­
m e n t a n d e a r n in g s , e c o n o m ic
a u to n o m y ,
re p ro d u c tiv e
r ig h ts a n d h e a lth .
“ E v e n in a r e a s w h e re O r ­
e g o n e n jo y s r e la tiv e ly h ig h
r a n k in g s , th e r e is p le n ty o f
e v id e n c e th a t so m e g r o u p s o f
w o m e n do n o t s h a r e in th e
g o o d n e w s b e c a u s e p o v e r ty ,
ra c is m an d d is c r im in a tio n
a g a in s t le s b ia n s a n d w o m e n
w ith d i s a b i l i t i e s k e e p s th e m
f ro m r e a p i n g th e b e n e f i t s
s h a r e d b y o th e r w o m e n ,”
n o te s S a n d r a M o rg e n , C S W S
d i r e c t o r a n d c h a ir o f th e O r ­
e g o n A d v is o r y C o m m itte e ,
w h ic h c o n s u lte d w ith IW P R
o n th e r e p o r t.
A s an e x a m p le , th e r e p o r t
s h o w s th a t p o v e r ty r a te s fo r
w o m e n o f c o lo r in th e s ta te
a re b e tw e e n se v e n an d 16 p e r ­
c e n ta g e p o in ts h ig h e r th a n fo r
w h ite w o m e n .
O n e p la c e w h e re O r e g o n
w o m e n ’s p r o g r e s s h a s b e e n
m o s t v i s i b l e is th e v o tin g
b o o th . T h e r e p o r t f in d s th a t
O r e g o n w o m e n ra n k s ix th in
th e n a tio n fo r v o te r r e g i s t r a ­
tio n , th e h ig h e s t in th e W e st.
D e s p ite t h i s , w o m e n r e ­
m a in a d i s t i n c t m in o r ity in
e le c te d o f f ic e , b o th in O r ­
e g o n a n d in th e n a tio n , a c ­
c o r d in g to th e r e p o r t. In O r ­
e g o n , o n ly o n e s t a t e w i d e
e le c te d o f f ic ia l is f e m a le , and
m e n o u tn u m b e r w o m e n th r e e
to o n e in th e s ta te l e g i s l a ­
tu r e . T h e h ig h p o in t fo r O r ­
e g o n w o m e n is th e c o n g r e s ­
s io n a l d e le g a tio n , in w h ic h
w o m e n c o n s titu te 4 0 p e r c e n t
o f th e f iv e - p e r s o n d e le g a tio n
to th e H o u se o f R e p r e s e n ta ­
tiv e s .
B u t,
n e ith e r
of
O r e g o n ’s U .S . s e n a to r s a re
w om en.
R ep . Jo A n n B o w m a n o f
P o r tla n d ’s D is tr ic t 19, a
m e m b e r o f th e O r e g o n A d v i­
s o ry C o m m itte e , is c o n c e r n e d
th a t th e n u m b e r s o f w o m e n
e le c te d to s ta te o f f ic e s f e ll
in th e la s t le g is la tiv e s e s s io n .
“ W e c a n n o t go b a c k w a r d s ,”
sh e s a y s . ‘W e h a v e fa r to o
m a n y im p o r ta n t is s u e s f a c in g
O r e g o n , a n d w e n e e d e le c te d
o f f i c i a l s w h o r e p r e s e n t a ll
O r e g o n ia n s , m e n a n d w o m e n ,
a n d m e m b e rs o f a ll r a c ia l a n d
e th n ic g r o u p s .”
R e p . K itty P ie r c y o f E u ­
g en e, O re g o n H o u se D em o ­
c ra tic le a d e r an d a n o th e r
m e m b e r o f th e O r e g o n A d v i­
s o ry C o m m itte e , s a y s th a t th e
r e p o r t is tim e ly as la w m a k ­
e rs r e tu r n to S a le m fo r th e
l e g i s l a t i v e s e s s io n in J a n u ­
a ry .
“ T h e S ta tu s o f W o m e n in
O re g o n r e p o r t is an im p o r ­
ta n t to o l fo r s ta te p o lic y m a k ­
e r s , ” sh e s a y s . “ It n o t o n ly
c o m p a r e s u s to o th e r s ta te s ,
b u t h e lp s us to u n d e r s ta n d
b o th O r e g o n ’ s s u c c e s s e s a n d
r e m a in in g c h a lle n g e s w h e n it
c o m e s to f u ll e q u a lity an d o p ­
p o rtu n ity
fo r
O re g o n
w o m e n .”
In a d d itio n to ‘T h e S ta tu s
o f W o m e n in O r e g o n ,” IW P R
on O c t. 22 r e le a s e d a n a tio n a l
5 0 - s ta te r e p o r t a n d n in e o th e r
s ta te r e p o r ts , c o v e r in g C o n ­
n e c tic u t, F lo r id a , K e n tu c k y ,
L o u is ia n a , M is s is s ip p i, N e ­
b r a s k a , O h io , P e n n s y lv a n ia
a n d V e r m o n t.
C o p ie s o f th e O re g o n r e ­
p o rt are a v a ila b le fo r $10
e a c h fro m th e C e n te r fo r th e
S tu d y o f W o m e n in S o c ie ty ,
3 4 0 H e n d r i c k s H a ll, 1 2 0 0
U n iv e r s ity o f O r e g o n , E u ­
g e n e , O R 9 7 4 0 3 ; o r by c a l l ­
in g 5 4 1 .3 4 6 .5 0 1 5 ,T o r e c e iv e
a c o p y o f th e n a tio n a l r e p o r t,
c o n ta c t J ill B ra u n s te in ,
2 0 2 .7 8 5 .5 1 0 0 .
Dr. ftrasnjo Ganjboa
Dr. Erasmo Gamboa, co-editor of the book, Nosotros. the Hispanic
D o n n ie n f D r e t in n -
a n d Recollections.
On November 7, 1998, at 9:45
AM, The Oliver Memorial Lectures
of the First Congregational United
Church o f Christ will present a day
long program on the HISPANIC
PEOPLE OF OREGON. The pur­
pose of the program is to raise aware­
ness o f the influence of the Hispanic
culture in Oregon, and to celebrate
the many contributions which have
been made by the Hispanic people of
Oregon since the sixteenth century to
the present time.
The featured speaker will be Dr.
Erasmo Gamboa, co-editor o f the
book, Nosotros. the Hispanic People
of Oregon: Essays and Recollections.
Gamboa, whose family has a long his­
tory in Oregon, is a professor ofhistory
in the Department of Ethnic Studies at
the University o f Washington. Dr.
Gamboa’s expert knowledge, insights
and writing make him an exciting
speaker.
Following the main presentation by
Dr. Gamboa, participants are invited
to a catered lunch in the fellowship
hall. Following lunch, participants will
select two of five group sessions which
will begin at 1 and 2:15 PM.
Imagine que somos (a familia que vive en el vecindario
¡Los vecindarios de Porfland y de
toda la nación tienen muchas
cosas en común! Como saltar
a la cuerda, el fútbol, las
conversaciones en el porche, las
comidas en el jardín y la familia.
American Family Insurance.
Seguros con coberturas familiares,
en los que se ha podido confiar
desde 1927. Hoy. encontrará a
nuestros amables agentes en 15
estados, en miles de vecindarios y
cerca de usted en el corazón de su
comunidad. ¡Llame hoy al
Í503J986-5800 mismo y descubra
por qué nadie cuida de Portland
como la familia!
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