The living wage is considered to be more of a movement because the current federal minimum wage does not provide enough money for an individual that work a full-time job and believes that they should not have to raise their family in poverty. Efforts are being done to provide what is called living wages for workers which began with a focus on requiring employers to pay at least a minimum wage to workers equal to the living wage for the area they are working. The current minimum wage is set to be several dollars short of what should be the living wage and even several dollars short of matching what would be its own value from 20 years ago. The living wage movement is said to be very active as more than 70 cities covering 39 states are involved in some way to install living wages. …show more content…
There is a confusion about what it is meant by each term as they occur. A minimum wage is a set amount per hour that employers are required to pay employees. A living wage is the amount that an employee must earn in order to raise their family equitable to the standard of living within a specified state and city. One of the main differences between a minimum wage and living wage is that the minimum wage is often fixed as by the government while the living wage is variable as set by where they are located as every place has a different cost of living. The national government may set what the minimum wage is that applies to all the employees covered by the applicable wage laws, and employers in all parts of the nation must comply with the law by paying the qualified employee at least the minimum wage. With a living wage, the amount required to enjoy a decent standard of living and raising a family may be higher in some areas, such as metropolitan areas, while a lower wage would allow that same level of a standard of living in a different area like a rural