04/21/2007

Associated Press

At least five restaurants here say they will drop prices for women patrons by 23 percent Tuesday to reflect a conclusion that American women, on average, earn that much less than men.

"I was in the corporate world before we moved to Baker City," said Brandi Ulrey, who with her husband Jake owns the Baker City Cafe.

"I understand how it is to earn a smaller paycheck than a man."

The cafe will be joined by the Main Event, Little Pig, Chamealeon and L&J Deli.

The event sponsor, the American Association of American Women, says 23 percent of the year will have passed, and that that's how many extra days women would have to work this year to make what similarly trained and educated men would make. The association has a Baker County chapter.

The advocacy organization plans to release a study on pay equity Monday.

Ulrey said the discount is more about creating awareness than making a difference in a life.

"There are so many women who are in the same boat. It's our duty as business owners and leaders in the community to make people understand the disparity," she said.

Jay Raffety, owner of The Main Event, says he is fully supportive.

"This is a good thing the AAUW is doing," he said. "We're hoping quite a few women will come in that day."

Liz Estabrooks, the local event organizer, said many working women shy away from pushing the pay equity issue for fear of being fired.

"Pay equity is protected by law, but it's like sexual harassment," she said. "Women tend not to fight it because they might lose their job."

An AAUW survey concludes that many employers are unwilling to promote young women because they may leave to have children and may prioritize family over work.

"It's always been used as an excuse, that women are on a different career track," Estabrooks said. "It's also been used as an excuse not to hire women, because they'd just quit anyway or at least take time off to have their babies. It's a lot like the illegal alien issue," she added.

"Bosses figure they'll pay you less because you'll take less. Then people get mad at them because they will work for less."