Wage Gap: What It Means to Us

Hello SWARM Readers!

Depending on your source for information, the gap in wages between men and women is anywhere between .23 cents/hr.  and .28 cents/hr.

You might be thinking,  Hey!  That is not new news.  I know this. But, I want you to think about what this information really means to the single mom.

Consider this... If the average of the wage gap was .25 cents, this means, that for every dollar a man makes, the woman makes .75 cents.

So...

MAN:             Rate of pay                      $ 1.00/hr        

WOMAN:      Rate of pay                           .75 cents/hr   

                       Pay Difference:                     .25cents/hr                                                                  

MAN:            40 hr week,  pay check:       $40.00

WOMAN:     40 hr week,  pay check:       $30.00

                      Pay Difference:                    $10.00

MAN:            Monthly Pay:                    $160.00       

WOMAN:     Monthly Pay:                    $120.00

                       Pay Difference                 $  40.00

MAN:           Yearly Income                  $2,080.00

WOMAN:     Yearly Income                 $1,560.00      

                       Pay Difference                $   520.00

In this scenario, the man is pocketing $520 dollars more than the woman.  He has $520  dollars more money in a year. Over ten years he will have more than $5,200 dollars!!!  Of course, this is the difference when the pay scale starts at  $1.00/hour.

But, let's get real. More likely the man is making $20.00 an hour, so, at 25% less,  the woman would then make $15.00 an hour.  This would translate into:

                    40 Hours Work Week:

                                   Man    20.00 x 40 hours  =  $ 800.00

                              Woman   15.00 x 40 hours   =  $ 600.00

                                   Weekly Pay Difference  =  $200.00

                   4 Week Month:

                                   Man:                 $800 x 4  =  $3,200.00

                             Woman:                  $600 x 4  =  $2,400.00

                                 Monthly Pay Difference   =   $  800.00

                           Yearly Salary: *based on 52 weeks 

                                   Man:             800 x 52     =   $ 41,600

                              Woman:             600 x 52    =    $ 31,200

                                    Yearly  Pay Difference =   $ 10,400

In ten years, the female worker is being shortchanged $104,000.00.  

Let me put this another way.  Say a man and a woman both want to purchase a home.  The price of the house is $100,000.  They need to save $10,000 for a 10% down payment.  Looking at the yearly figures above, you can see that the man only has to cut back his spending to that of his female counterpart (same job-different wage) in order to save the money.  And it would only take him one year.  The woman, on the other hand, would have a deeper cut into her spendings and it would take her much longer than a year to save up the $10,000.  For every paycheck that she has to cut into for the down payment savings, she has to take away from her other necessary savings, (i.e. emergency funds, 401K, or other future needs).  The quality of her life potentially suffers.  Although, it is her choice to sacrifice to save and purchase a home, shouldn't she have the same quality of life that her male counterpart has during the saving process?  Shouldn't she be paid the same wage that he is for doing the same job?  

Of course she should!  But, we live in the real world where inequality still exists and because of the many discrepancies in this life, we must adapt and move forward, regardless.  SWARM is here to help. 

So the goal of this blog is to provide information to help improve the quality of your life.  We will aim to provide you with information that will enlighten you and help you. I hope this post has given you reason to ponder...

Greetings Swarm Readers!

     I would like to give you an idea of how this blog will work.  As single moms we are often pressed for time and rushing through life.  We have appointments to keep, extracurriculars to attend, work to be present for, and people who depend on us (waiting expectantly for guidance and assistance).  With all that going on how do you have time for everything...and do you?  Who or what will get shortchanged?  Most likely it will be YOU!  That's just how it works when you are a single mom.  So, part of what this blog's job will be is to be a one stop shop for information and insight.  Our goal is to improve the quality of our lives and we believe that the information we share will help you.  As the course of this plan unfolds, we will be learning how to improve our lives one day at a time.  There will be topics of information that you may not need, just as there will be topics that you may want more information than what we have shared.  In either case, stay tuned because we will approach the subject matter from angles and opinions that originate from single moms and from those considered 'experts' in their fields.

     We're sure you will learn something that will help some aspect of your life.  We will explore ways that single moms approach life's uncertainties.  For instance, did you know that many single moms buy life insurance and name their children as the beneficiaries. They believe that by doing so, they are helping out their children.  However, that is not the best way to help the children.  In fact,  moms need to set up a trust from the insurance, and have an executor make sure the children get what they need from the money in the event something happens to the mom.  This is the type of information single moms need, and in a future post, we will explore all the reasons why not to name your children (under 18 years) as beneficiaries of your life insurance policy.

     We are very excited to bring you the SWARM blog and any and all bits of information that will help improve the quality of your life!

Hello Readers!

     As you may know from being single moms, support is one of our most important needs.  We know that when we have a good support system, wonderful things happen in our lives, including reduced stress levels, increased energy, and we can stay focused and on task.  I wrote  'good support', because there is a difference between good and bad support.  People need to know the difference and choose the good.
     So how does one know the difference?  Well, women are known to  'get feelings' about situations in life that can help them make decisions.  Sometimes it is referred to as 'women's intuition'.   Men, on the other hand, don't get feelings, instead they get gut feelings.  So what do you do with the feelings?  You listen to them.  Think about how you feel when you consider the support that you are getting.  Do you feel confident? Calm? Strong?  You should! Because that's how you should feel when you have a good support system.
     On the other hand...support that makes you feel anxious, weak, or nervous is bad.  Example: If you have a system in place for child care, but you tend to walk away feeling concerned or are full of anxiety, then these feelings are telling you this is not a good system.  You must reconsider this system and replace it with support that leaves you feeling good, energized and powerful.
     Because single moms need different types of support, we must receive it from various groups (i.e. family, friends, co-workers, etc.)  However, unless there are single moms amongst these groups, they can't really understand what we have to deal with on a day to day basis.  That is why SWARM exists. We are here to support and encourage and educate!  We are here to enhance any support you are already receiving, and in some cases to offer the only support you may have at this time.  
 

Father's Day

     Hello and Happy Fathers' Day to the men who love a single mom! Today we celebrate the men who are involved and actively raising their children.  As German illustrator and poet Wilhelm Busch stated, 'Becoming a father is easy, but being one can be tough'.  So ... here's to the dads that tough it out, the ones that stay and love and grow their offspring.  Men with integrity!  My dad is one such man!  Thanks Dad, for loving your children and your grandchildren!

     Let's also celebrate the men who are not the biological dads but step in and teach a child to fish, take a niece to the daddy-daughter dance, provide a trip to Disney World.  The men who cut the grass or shovel the snow for a single mom who gets a bit behind on her chores. The ones who accept as payment a  'thank you' and the look of appreciation and relief, for having been thought of and helped.   For all the men who want your child to grow up happy and knowing they are important, we salute you.

     My wish this Father's Day is for all children to have a positive male role model in their life.   So single moms, remember, blood doesn't guarantee a positive male figure.  If you can not secure what your child needs within your family you can look beyond your immediate family for a father figure who can show by example just what it takes to be a man.

Happy Father's Day!

Beginning the blog

     Hello Readers!  This blog, which I am calling Swarm Buzz, is for single moms and those that love them.  Why Swarm Buzz?  Because the definition of 'swarm' is:  a group that works together with a single goal in mind. 'Buzz',  is for the sound bees make while working together to achieve their goal.  I have a facebook page called SWARM which will work in tandem with the blog.  My short term goal is to help moms improve their quality of life through education and information sharing, and my long term goal is to create a resource center for single moms.

     What is a single mom?  I consider a single mom to be a woman who is raising her child(ren) on her own.  What makes a single mom?  Divorce, separation, death, desertion or abandonment, adoption and choice.

     This blog is not to judge, only to lift up.  Because, let's face it... we need it.  Support is one of the most basic needs of a single mom and sometimes, the only way a single mom can get support is through other single moms.  We know the struggle, the pain and the guilt.  And even though the calendar reads 2012, there are still people we meet (or know) with archaic and biased attitudes.

      Not too long ago I was listening to an early morning radio station.  The DJ was advertising an event for the upcoming weekend and told his listeners to "bring all the single moms they can find, 'cuz they are so desperate for attention, they will 'do' anyone".  With that statement he disrespected a lot of women.  Women who are trying to get through the day and raise their children to the best of their ability.  I don't know about you single moms, but dating and 'doing' anyone is not at the top of my list.  Being a good mom is!!!

     This blog is an attempt to reach single moms (and those that love them) in order to share information and stories that will help make life just a little less stressful and less of a struggle. We will share stories from moms who have 'been there, done that' and learn how to handle situations that are single mom specific.  Feel free to add your comments and your own experiences.

SWARM