So my local paper, the Las Vegas Review Journal, runs a column by syndicated columnist Thomas Sowell. He is a pretty dreadful guy, but his most recent column (Sunday, July 25) was one of his worst: www.creators.com/opinion_show.cfm

My response is this:

It is unfortunate that the Las Vegas Review Journal chooses to run articles by syndicated columnist Thomas Sowell. Mr. Sowell ’s column in this past Sunday ’s edition (July 25, 2004) clearly betrays how misinformed he is about the general status of working women in this country, and the status of female employees at Wal-Mart in particular. He made three claims: 1) Women simply do not want the same jobs traditionally held by men, 2) if hiring women is so cheap, Wal-Mart would have hired lots of us instead of hiring men at a higher cost, and 3) the best thing a woman can do for her career is stay single and childless.

First, someone should inform Sowell that in 2004 women are not only interested in doing work traditionally done by men, we are actually doing work traditionally done by men. The women in the class action suit against Wal-Mart want to get paid the same as their male counterparts for the work that women already do at Wal-mart. Richard Drogen, a professor emeritus of statistics at the University of California, Hayward found that full-time female Wal-Mart employees make $1,150 less per year than men in similar jobs, a 6.2 percent gap. Women store managers make an average of $89,280 a year, $16,400 less than men.

Second, someone should explain to Sowell that 65% of Wal-Mart staff are women, yet they earn an average of 37 cents less than men. Wal-Mart is, in fact, hiring women instead of men to keep costs down. How do you think Wal-Mart keeps their prices so low?

And, third, when Sowell writes, "The most blatant fact about male-female differences is often ignored by those on the hunt for discrimination: Women have babies," someone should tell Sowell that he has again missed the point. Women are already doing the same work as men, putting in the same hours of men, yet they earn less than men. In my voting district, nearly 25% of all households are headed by single women with children. These women need to put bread on the table, and they need to save for their children ’s college tuition. I imagine many women who have taken part in the class-action lawsuit against Wal-Mart are similar to the women in my voting district. These women are not selfish money-grubbers as Sowell implied. They simply want compensation commiserate with what their male counterparts, and their male counterparts ’families, receive.


If your local newspaper publishes Sowell's column, I urge you to send a letter of complaint to them, as well as Sowell's syndicate, Creators Syndicate (info@creators.com). You can use my letter above if you wish.

-Jessica

P.S. Don't shop Wal-mart.