Great Gifts for Mother's Day: Video Stardom and $10,622

Mother's Day is just a few days away. This year, give your mom something she needs and deserves: equal pay. MomsRising.org has developed a great Mother's Day video that you can customize and send to your mom and all the moms you know. Each mom you send the video to will see her name appear in a faux news story about them winning the "Mother of the Decade" award and will be lauded by Michelle Obama and Hollywood celebrities. Celebrating the achievements of mothers everywhere, this short, funny video also educates folks about economic issues facing all women.

Honor all the women in your life this Mother's Day by urging your senators to support the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182) and bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Imagine how happy your mom would be when she opened your gift: a giant check for $10,622, the gap between the median yearly earnings of men and women. Just think of all the things she could do with this! From paying for groceries and health care to investing in an education and saving for retirement, equal pay is the best gift that you could give the women in your life.

By supporting the Paycheck Fairness Act, you'll also be giving your mom -- and everyone who has a mom -- the gift of workplace fairness. Mom deserves the right to ask about her employer's wage practices and discuss her wages with coworkers without the fear of being fired. In addition, you'll give her the tools she needs to negotiate for fair pay and the protection of stronger federal enforcement efforts. Since her economic security throughout her lifespan is largely determined by her earnings, this truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

This recession makes pay equity even more important. With women now making up half of the workforce and more and more families dependent upon a woman's paycheck to make ends meet, ensuring that women are paid fairly is even more critical. Equal pay for equal work is not only crucial to most families' economic security, it's crucial to our nation's economic recovery. That's why it's so imperative that these tough economic times aren't used as an excuse to ignore pay discrimination.

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