Local event focuses on gender wage gap

    PRESQUE ISLE – On Thursday, March 29, the American Association of University Women, in collaboration with Women, Work and Community, Business and Professional Women, Northern Maine Community College, University of Maine at Presque Isle, and the WAGE (Women Are Getting Even) Project, is sponsoring a presentation and panel discussion entitled “Dollars and Sense: How the Gender Wage Gap Affects Your Family.”
     The event will be held at UMPI from 6-9 p.m. at the Campus Center.
    The evening will begin with networking, followed directly by an opening address by Laura Fortman, Maine Commissioner of Labor. Fortman will provide an overview of Maine’s wage gap, review state policies currently in effect, and discuss possible future efforts to combat the wage gap issue.
    A panel of professionals will then address wage gap issues, followed by a question and answer session. Marcus Barresi (Barresi Financial Inc.) will discuss how the wage gap affects retirement, from an individual or couple’s standpoint. Sarah Standiford (executive director of the Maine Women’s Lobby) will be part of the panel discussion to explore the implications of the wage gap on women, as well as briefly discuss current policies and legislation-affecting women’s wages. Annie Houle (national director of the Maine Wage Project) will provide information on actions and initiatives currently being taken to address the problem, and Sharon Barker (director of the Women’s Resource Center, University of Maine) will share results of a comprehensive study that details the wage gap situation in Maine. Shawn Cunningham (reporter for WAGM and current president of the Maine Business and Professional Women) will serve as moderator.
    Although the wage gap has decreased significantly, Maine women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. If you are interested in connecting with others who share a concern about the wage gap and want to learn more about what the current legislative agenda/policy is, and how we can work together to affect change, this event is for you.
    For more information or to pre-register, contact Ruth White at 768-2856 or Suzanne Senechal-Jandreau at 764-0050.