Binders full of Women – the US presidential debates

Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png

I have been keen to hear about the US Presidential elections. This morning the phrase “binders full of women” cropped up all over different social media tools. Curious, I looked into it and was surprised it related to Republican candidate Mitt Romney discussing the gender pay gap.

Specifically the question was “In what new ways do you plan to rectify the inequalities in the work place, specifically regarding females making only 72% of what their male counterparts earned.” Take a look for yourself:

I was not impressed with Romney’s answer as he started discussing a personal instance where he realises all of his staff were men. I don’t think recognising one instance of gender inequality makes for a well justified answer. It seems neither are Americans as they use his phrase “binders of women” to poke fun at him.

Did you see the debate? How did you feel the candidates dealt with the issue of the gender pay gap? Feel free to let your comments known here.