LAF Plaintiff Aileen Rizo Wins Right to Proceed to Trial

Aileen Rizo is a math consultant for the Fresno County Office of Education (FCOE) in Fresno, California. She filed suit against the FCOE under equal pay and gender discrimination laws after discovering she was paid less than her male colleague who had less experience and seniority. The case was originally filed in 2014,

LAF-supported plaintiff Aileen Rizo’s case has survived summary judgment to move ahead to trial. Rizo v. Fresno County Office of Education highlights a significant underlying factor that contributes to the wage gap: employers’ practice of relying on an employee’s prior salary history to set new salary levels. AAUW is proud to support the case through our Legal Advocacy Fund. The trial is scheduled to begin in January. Watch for further developments.

An Historic Climate Agreement Signed

The global community signed an historic agreement at the Paris climate talks to tackle the threat of climate change and accelerate the shift to clean energy around the world. This is a momentous breakthrough. 185 countries have pledged to reduce their climate change pollution, strengthen their climate commitments every five years, protect people living on the front lines of climate impacts, and help developing nations expand their clean energy economies.

Most important, this agreement sets ambitious goals. It calls for holding global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, with a first step of keeping us at no more than 2 degrees of warming.

Reaching the 2-degree target is essential to prevent catastrophic climate impacts, but scientists say it still leaves us open to dangerous levels of rising seas, food insecurity, and extreme drought. It would make the Marshall Islands and other island nations uninhabitable and expose countless vulnerable communities to deadly harm. Keeping the temperature rise at no more than 1.5 degrees will sustain these communities and create a brighter, more stable future for our children and grandchildren.

Seeing 185 countries commit to cutting carbon pollution, seeing some 2,400 mayors and city leaders devote their communities to clean energy, seeing thousands of business leaders and investors affirm that this is good for the economy—and furthermore, that we can’t afford the high cost of waiting—has left me with a real sense of hope about our collective future.

The climate talks also represent the moment when it became clear that our hope for the future has not been misplaced. Yes, this will be a long and difficult struggle. Yes, there’s still much more to be done. But so many moments in Paris helped demonstrate that victory is within our reach.

Campus Sexual Violence Data Raise Red Flags

For the first time this year campuses are now providing data on dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking in addition to rape statistics. AAUW’s analysis of the 2014 data revealed the following.

Ninety-one percent of college campuses disclosed zero reported incidences of rape in 2014. AND

Only about 10 percent of college campuses disclosed a reported incident of dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking in 2014.

These statistics are contrary to study after study which show that sexual harassment and violence are violence are all too prevalent in institutions of higher education. One in five women is sexually assaulted during college, and more than one in five college women experiences physical abuse, sexual abuse, or threats of physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner.

With the 2014 statistics, it’s no wonder that students may not feel comfortable coming forward to report such crimes at some of these schools. This should be a serious case for concern for any college or university.

On the other hand, The 2014 numbers show that campuses that reported one type of sexual violence often disclosed reports of other types. This suggests that some schools have built the necessary systems to welcome reports, support survivors, and disclose accurate statistics.

To read the full report, click http://www.loveisrespect.org/pdf/College_Dating_And_Abuse_Final_Study.pdf

Women Lead Men in College Attainment

In 1940, under 5 percent of the U.S. population held a bachelor’s degree. Men, at 5.5 percent, were more likely than women at 3.8 percent, to have a college education. Although the 1.7 percentage point gap may appear small, it was big relative to the portion of women with bachelor’s degrees (it would have taken a 45 percent increase among women for them to match men).

Now, nearly 75 years after the Census Bureau began collecting these statistics, the educational attainment of our population has increased to 30 percent -and the gender balance has shifted. For the first time since measurement began in 1940, women were more likely than men to have a bachelor’s degree according to a census report.

New California Equal Pay Law

California became the state with the strongest equal pay protections in the nation on Tuesday after Governor Jerry Brown signed the California Fair Pay Act. The new law requires employers to pay workers equally for “substantially similar work” even if their titles or work sites are different. The law will also close loopholes that have made it difficult for employees to successfully sue over discriminatory pay. Employers will now be prohibited from retaliating against employees who discuss or ask about co-workers’ wages. AAUW California members were present for the signing of the bill at the Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park and were active during the legislative process. AAUW activists throughout California sent over 3,200 messages to their legislators urging the passage of the bill.