Opinion

Women stand to benefit most from wage increase

Posted March 03, 2014 4:01 am

Raising the minimum wage and supporting women's rights go hand in hand. I was surprised to learn that two-thirds of the minimum wage workers are women. They hold most of the lowest-paying jobs, so they would benefit the most. This percentage represents over 17 million women who would benefit from an increase.

Also, 60 percent of women are the only source of income or the co-bread winner in the family. This increase in take-home pay would go directly into the local community economy as workers buy needed goods and services they could not afford before.

It is time that we taxpayers decline supplementing the profits of private companies by being forced to maintain social programs to ensure the working poor receive services such as they are. The minimum wage has been raised 19 times in the last 30 years. Businesses did not close, and the economy benefited. The wage increase is good for the American economy and it is good for the working poor, which is predominately represented by women. I ask that we contact our legislatures at the Illinois state level and also at the federal level.

Sharon Losacco

Lindenhurst

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