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This Labor Day, working women are worried. And they should be. Although recent studies of women and work have suggested the dawn of an "opt-out" revolution, the idea that women are choosing to leave the work force in droves doesn't hold up under inspection.

A handful of affluent women may choose to "opt-out," but the vast majority of women work. Women cannot afford not to work. At the same time, women can barely afford to work.

In a recent AFL-CIO survey of more than 25,000 women, 74 percent said they earn at least half of their household income — and a a whopping 38 percent of women say they make nearly all of it. For these households, and for these women, "opting-out" is simply not an option.

Squeezed between low wages and the high costs of gas and child care, women struggle to make ends meet. On the job, they face the triple threat of low wages, unaffordable benefits and conditions that are toxic to families. More than 40 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women continue to earn just 77 cents for every dollar a man earns.

Equal pay is a problem across age, race and occupation. For example, a female health technician earns just 76 percent of what her male counterpart does. A female sales associate earns 33.2 percent less than a comparable man, in the same position, according to data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

To put the gap in perspective: The average 25-year-old woman, throughout the course of her working life, will lose about $455,000 to unequal pay. That's close to half a million dollars lost to discrimination. Women deserve better.

In Arizona, more than 58 percent of workers who earn the minimum wage are women, according to a recent report released by the Economic Policy Institute. Twenty-five percent of minimum-wage workers are single mothers. Many work full time, but continue to live well below the poverty line. If you work 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, you should not live in poverty, period.

Compounding the effects of low pay, women cannot afford basic benefits. Nationally, more than 45 million Americans do not have health insurance. In Arizona, 989,000 people are without coverage.

Finally, women face work conditions that stress the fabric of families. One-third of women who responded to the AFL-CIO survey work evenings, nights and weekends. Two-fifths of women work shifts different from their partner or spouse. Tell that to the experts who have found that family dinners lead to more well-balanced children and teens.

As women are working increasingly irregular hours, some are also simply working more. Twenty percent of the women who responded to the survey said they work more than one job.

If the reality of work for women in America sounds destructive, it's because it is. But their struggle merely mirrors that of all workers.

Working people see their living standards threatened. They face the real possibility that their children may not be better off than they are. All too often, big business has cut and run on its responsibilities, and our government is letting it happen.

This November, voters in Arizona will also have the opportunity to raise the minimum wage to $6.75. Working people deserve, at least, this much.

It's time this country made good on its promise of equality. It's time to raise the minimum wage, and it's time we made America work for working people again.