Traverse City Record-Eagle

Opinion

March 16, 2013

Fact Check: Pelosi's 64 percent remark about women

BY FACTCHECK.ORG

On news of the stock market hitting an all-time high, U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said it’s time to raise the minimum wage.

In a news conference on March 7, 2013, Pelosi, D-Calif., announced her support for a bill raising the federal minimum wage from the current $7.25 an hour to $10.10 an hour.

“If we are to honor our commitment to a middle class, which is the backbone of our democracy, we have to reflect ... that intention in our public policy,” she said.

Then she added, “It is important to note in this Women’s History Month, that more than 64 percent of minimum-wage earners are women.

So this has a big impact on the financial security of our women.”

A reader asked us on Facebook about the statistic - that nearly two-thirds of minimum-wage earners are women. We thought it was an interesting fact to check, and it turns out Pelosi is right.

The best source for this information is the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which compiles data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey.

BLS figures show there were slightly more than 3.5 million men and women earning minimum wage or less in 2012, and nearly 2.3 million women at those wage levels. So dividing the total by the women workers gets you to 64.4 percent.

It’s interesting to note, however, that people earning the minimum wage account for a very small percentage of people working -in this case, 2.6 percent of working women.

Our ruling

Pelosi said 64 percent of minimum-wage earners are women.

Government figures from 2012, which are based on census data, back up her assertion. We rate the claim True

 

 

Text Only

Opinion Poll

AP Video
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma Raw: House Burns After Massive Oklahoma Tornado Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma Split-second Choice Ended With NY Student Dead White House Backs 'Shield Law' for Media Wave of Attacks Kills Scores in Iraq Pug Life on Display at Wisconsin Festival Company Promises to Make All Snail Mail Digital Analyst: Tumblr Fills Void in Yahoo's Offerings Commuters Face Delays After Conn. Train Accident Raw: Swarm of Tornadoes Slams Plains Raw: Fierce Bombing in Qusair, Syria RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado Raw: Accused US Spy Reportedly Leaves Russia