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u.s. news Diaranson 16 Maart 2022

Biden moving to narrow gender pay gap for federal workers

(AP) — The White House
is marking Equal Pay Day For instance, women who
by taking new steps aimed remained in the labor force
at ending the gender pay during the pandemic and
gap for federal workers worked full time often had
and contractors. higher earnings than their
counterparts who lost low-
President Joe Biden on Tues- paying jobs, indicating that
day is signing an executive 2020 figures cannot be com-
order that encourages the pared with wage gap data
government to consider ban- from prior years, Tucker said.
ning federal contractors from
seeking information about Among other issues, the
job applicants’ prior salary Biden administration wants
history. And a new Labor De- to combat occupational seg-
partment directive is aimed regation to get women better
at strengthening federal con- access to well-paying jobs,
tractors’ obligations to audit which tend to be male-dom-
payrolls to help guard against inated, according to a senior
pay disparities based on gen- administration official who
der, race or ethnicity. previewed the administra-
tion’s efforts on Monday,
The Office of Personnel speaking on the condition of
Management also is consid- anonymity.
ering a regulation to address
the use of prior salary history Last October, the administra- men’s team. Tucker said there is a long
in hiring and setting compen- tion issued a national gender way to go to achieve equal In 2020, the average woman
sation for federal workers. strategy to advance women’s “I think we’re going to look pay — especially after the who worked full-time all
and girls’ full participation in back on this moment and pandemic. year earned 83 cents on the
Equal Pay Day is designed to society. just think, ‘Wow, what an dollar compared with her
call attention to how much incredible turning point in There were in excess of 1.1 male colleague doing the
longer women must work to This year, the administra- the history of U.S. Soccer million fewer women in the same work, according to
earn what men earned in the tion is looking for new ways that changed the game and labor force in February 2022 the White House. The gap
previous year. to combat pay disparities and changed the world, really, than in February 2020, which is even bigger for Black and
drawing attention to high- forever,’” star midfielder Me- means they are neither work- Native American women and
Data shows that while the pay profile efforts to combat the gan Rapinoe said at the time. ing nor searching for em- Latinas.
gap is at its smallest ever, the wage gap, such as the U.S. ployment.
coronavirus pandemic has women’s national soccer Biden, Vice President Kamala The issue impacts women
altered women’s labor force team’s $24 million February Harris and other administra- “There was a particular shed- even later in life. A 2020
participation so that “what settlement with U.S. Soccer tion officials planned to mark ding among low-paid work- Brookings Institution study
we’re seeing is an artificial in a discrimination dispute. Equal Pay Day with a Tues- ers, and what was left was on women’s retirement
narrowing,” said Jasmine day afternoon event attended middle- and higher-paid found Social Security ben-
Tucker, director of research The settlement includes a by members of the women’s workers who were insulated efits for women are, on aver-
at the National Women’s Law commitment to equalize pay soccer team. from the pandemic,” Tucker age, 80% of those for men.
Center. and bonuses to match the said.

New US sanctions target more in Putin’s power structure

(AP) — New U.S. sanc- leader of Kremlin-allied are also a focus of the sanc- tions against those engaged corruption whistleblower for
tions Tuesday targeted Belarus. tions. in human rights abuses. whom the act is named. Mag-
more individuals in Rus- nitksy died in pre-trial deten-
sian President Vladimir A judge and an investigator in Some of the new sanctions Tuesday’s sanctions show the tion in 2009 after exposing an
Putin’s power structure, Russia’s prosecution of two were brought under the Mag- U.S. going after more indi- alleged tax-fraud scheme by
including senior Russian outspoken critics of alleged nitsky Act, a 2012 act of Con- vidual officials after laying Russian officials.
military officials and the corruption and rights abuses gress that authorizes sanc- down some of the toughest
sanctions of modern times Also targeted is Nurid Sal-
against Russian institutions amov, a prosecuting investi-
and top figures over Putin’s gator in Russia whom Trea-
nearly 3-week-old invasion sury accuses of taking part in
of Ukraine. an allegedly trumped-up case
against Oyub Titiev, of the
“Today’s designations dem- rights group Memorial.
onstrate the United States
will continue to impose con- Tuesday’s sanctions also add
crete and significant con- to sanctions against Alexan-
sequences for those who der Lukashenko, the long-
engage in corruption or are time leader of Belarus, who
connected to gross violations is allowing Putin to use his
of human rights,” a Treasury country as a staging ground
official, Andrea Gacki, said in for attacks on Ukraine. They
a statement. newly sanction Halina Lu-
kashenko, wife of the Belarus
That includes newly an- leader. And other new sanc-
nounced sanctions against tions target eight deputy Rus-
Natalia Mushnikova, a Mos- sian defense ministers and
cow judge in the case of other senior military officials.
Sergei Magnitsky, the anti-