if i've said it once i've said it a thousand times. trickle down economics began under the Reagan administration and 30 years later all the data shows the money trickled up, not down. even the man responsible for pushing Reagan into trickle down economics has apologized and admitted it does not work. Alan Greenspan also apologized of his mistaken view of economics after it all came crashing down. atop that union bashing which didn't begin under Reagan but certainly got a shot of steroids under Reagan added to the disparity because it's nothing less than worker bashing. so no. it wasn't liberals, gays, feminists, atheists ect, although some in those groups likely bought into trickle down economics too but it was not those agendas. it was purely an agenda of economic elitists looking down at those they consider to be the little people. 

Thanks for this.  I blame Obama too.

It used to be that only men worked outside the home.  What impact do you think it has on wages when you add women workers?

@amyunicorn - Actually, the problem now is the overabundance of cheap labor everywhere.  Jobs can be outsourced to Asia and Latin America much more cheaply than they can here.  It will take time for wages to equilibrate.  Do you seriously think that adding more workers (say, married women) to the workforce has had no impact on wages?  Just because you don't like the result is no reason to start calling names.  Something like this shouldn't be so threatening to you.

Do you know what employers often do if they can't find workers?  They raise wages.  Men are far more willing to change jobs for higher pay than women are.  Maybe that has an impact on why men get paid more than women.

@soccerdadforlife - Way to remove your insult, but still. Why shouldn't I find this threatening? Do you think I want to be away from my kids? Do you think I want to struggle to pay the bills? Do you think I enjoy pouring coffee 'for a living'? Is this what I perceived to be my goal when I went to school and got my college education that I'm still trying to pay off the loans for? My husband has a 'good' job and has only barely managed to double his wage in over 15 years at his job (which is still far below what we and his colleagues feel they deserve to be paid, but don't breathe a word of frustration lest you be tossed out the front door due to 'cutbacks'). 

@soccerdadforlife - I can see germs of truth in this, but maybe (probably) it's my personal bias that this isn't true. Probably because it's not fair, or right. Hence, the need for feminism (and not the man-hating, bra-burning feminism, but the We are People Too feminism). I, personally, am not a risk taker so I have a narrow view of what people as a whole consider to be risky or not. I voiced my opinion on unfair treatment at work and lost my job, so now I've committed to being grateful for any job I get and just shutting up and taking it. My credentials from college are now far outdated and useless for me to wade in and acquire a decent job (and looking back I picked the WRONG thing, I just needed a damn piece of paper to prove to employers that I was worth hiring), and my husband is stuck where he is without further education in his field.

When I was in college, there was a single Dad that was struggling, and that made me frustrated. It shouldn't cost 90% of anyone's paycheck to have your child in daycare, but then the daycare workers deserve to be paid enough to live on their wages. It's a vicious cycle. When I went back to work it was almost more cost-efficient for me to stay home and not make a dime, never mind finding a job that can accommodate the hours required for drop-off/pick-up etc. But staying at home causes problems later on when applying for a job and there is a huge gap in your work experience, as employers don't want to hear that you are a Mother (I was turned down for a job because they found out I was a Mother thanks to one of my references, and assumed I was too young to have children! They told me this, I'm not pulling this out of thin air). I have defaulted on my loans because we can't afford to pay them. We cannot afford to eat properly on a regular basis never mind put money towards our children's future education (and believe me, that hurts more than I can express). As far as working from home? I am Life-Challenged if you will. No skills, not crafty, no motivation and no passion for anything. I am destined to remain in entry-level soul-sucking jobs if I can find them (which currently I am between jobs which sucks even harder).
In other words, wah-wah my life sucks and I'm taking it out on Xanga. My apologies. If I don't work, we don't have enough money and it makes me feel like a shit Mother. If I work, I'm not around as much when the kids need me, and I feel like a shit Mother.

look, people like kim cardashian and snooki work REALLY HARD for their money! everyone who has mounds of wealth 100% deserves it! and you should respect that and just quit whining! :P

@amyunicorn - Thanks, I read it and the comments.