Demand Equal Pay

Today, Women Need to Demand Equal Pay

Jenna Goudreau 

Forbes.com 

Click the link below to view the full article!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/04/17/today-women-need-to-demand-equal-pay/

Democratic Senator Gillibrand of New York stated “It’s illegal to discriminate against women in pay,” she said, “and if we have better enforcement mechanisms, we can hold more companies accountable” (Goudreau). The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy. This is when the issue of equal pay in the workplace should have been fixed; however, employers just simply seem to feel that it is acceptable to overlook a law and continue to break it. Since the Equal Pay Act in 1963 “the gap has been closing at a rate of less than half a cent per year... At this rate, women’s pay will not catch up to men’s for another 40 years” (Goudreau). Fifty years is long enough of a wait. It is time that people begin to recognize this law and abide by it. We will not wait a total of 90 years from the initial attempt to give women fair pay before we actually reach our goal. Since the Equal Pay Act didn’t fully accomplish what it intended to, it is time to turn to the The Paycheck Fairness Act and work to get it passed. ““Women need to demand equal pay,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. “Women are the most significant economic engine in the U.S. Pay women equally and it would raise the GDP [(Gross Domestic Product)] by up to 9%”” (Godreau). 

Shortchanged

Shortchanged: Why Women Get Paid Less Than Men

Peter Coy and Elizabeth Dwoskin

BusinessWeek

Click below to view the full article!

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-06-21/equal-pay-plaintiffs-burden-of-proof#p2

So how did this problem really get fired up? Lilly Ledbetter was working at a tire plant when she realized that although she was in a management position, she was not being paid equal to what men in management positions were being paid. This sparked something in her to get to the bottom of it. 

She took it to court and a jury found it "more likely than not" that she was suffering from pay discrimination. She appealed to the Supreme Court but they turned her down because the complaint was not within 180 days of when she was initially underpaid. President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Resoration Act which states that each new undersized paycheck should be treated as a punishable offense.

While this certainly helps things, women still do not know if they're being underpaid to begin with unless they are told by their employers, or see their fellow male coworkers' paychecks and compare. The Paycheck Fairness Act would fix this deficiency. This act was passed in the House in 2009 and would allow employees to inquire about any pay gaps or discrimination. It would require employers to send in salary data that would make violations much easier to detect. 

"The Senate GOP’s June 5 filibuster of the bill played into the hands of Democrats seeking women’s votes, as did defensive quotes from Republican senators. Marco Rubio of Florida said he didn’t think the bill would accomplish its purpose, and “reads more to me like some sort of welfare plan for trial lawyers.”

Currently, though it is very easy for employers to slip by while paying their employees unfairly. A lack of good data makes progess in this area close to impossible. And when individual cases are brought to attention, employers usually can find a way to finagle their way around them because they are too "idiosyncratic". Providing this data would also be asking a lot of paperwork from companies that are unwilling to expose themselves in such a way.  

Securing Equal Pay

Securing Equal Pay

Cecilia Munoz

Council on Women and Girls

Click the link below to view the full article!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/04/17/securing-equal-pay

"President Obama understands how much this issue impacts our nation’s economic well-being, and that’s why, from his earliest days in office, he has been committed to closing the pay gap."

The Equal Pay Task Force is a group of individuals put together by President Obama to help combat pay discrimination. These people have been brought together from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor and the Office of Personnel Management. Since the Task Force was assembled in 2010 they have recovered large amounts of money owed to women due to pay discrimination. They have also improved inter-agency coordination and collaboration. They are working to focus more government attention to closing the pay gap. 

"I commend the professionals who represent the member agencies on the Task Force for the extraordinary work they and their teams undertake each day to realize the President’s directive."

The Department of Labor has also published two brochures that are being sent to employees and employers. This will help educate people of the workforce about their rights and responsibilities under the nation's equal pay laws. This will hopefully help them understand further and abide by these laws. 

The first bill that President Obama signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. It extends the time period in which pay discrimination claims can be brought in for review. This allowed countless victims to seek rectification where they previously were unable to. 

Today is Equal Pay Day

What Would You Do with $11,000?

Meghan Groob

Media Relations Associate, ACLU

Click the link below to view the full article!

http://www.aclu.org/blog/womens-rights-lgbt-rights-religion-belief-reproductive-freedom/what-would-you-do-11000

Today is Equal Pay Day. Today "marks how far into 2013 women must work to be paid what men were paid in 2012 alone." Fifty years ago, President John F. Kennedy signed the equal pay act and yet women are still only earning 77 cents to every man's dollar. At first, this may not seem like a cause worth fighting for. People see 77 cents and think, "Well, that's nearly a dollar, what is an extra 23 cents going to do?" Well, it would stop women from losing $11,000 every year. And it would also give women the opportunity to put more money into many different things. As I mentioned earlier, it is difficult for women to manage housework/ childcare and a job. $11,000 could certainly help with that. In fact, it would pay for an entire year of daycare. It would also pay for most of the average person's credit card debt, "Paying that off would put control of your finances back in your own hands." It would also cover a year's worth of groceries, health insurance and electric bills. And after you paid that, you'd still have enough left for a round trip flight to Paris. 

"On this Equal Pay Day, we must urge Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. The Paycheck Fairness Act provides a much needed update to the Equal Pay Act – a law that has not been able to achieve its promise of closing the wage gap because of limited enforcement tools and inadequate remedies."

 By passing the Paycheck Fairness Act, Congress will be allowing women to have better lives all around. Whether it's paying the essentials, taking care of their families or just treating themselves once in a while. By passing this act, they'd be giving women the extra $11,000 they deserve for doing the same jobs as men. 

Helping Women Advance in the Workplace

Helping Women Advance in the Workplace

Sara Manzano-Diaz

Director of the U. S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau

Council on Women and Girls

Click the link below to view the full article!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/05/20/helping-women-advance-workplace

(These next few posts are looking into solutions for the issues of women in the workplace.) 

Women are often expected to be the caretakers of the home. In fact, that's a major reason that this issue is being discussed. But as we are in the 21st century, things have changed and "women [are] now making up almost half of our nation’s labor force." With this responsibility though, the responsibilities of making a happy home are not lessened. This often makes it difficult for women to put 100% into either their work or home life without getting completely worn down. 

Now, of course there is the possibility that husbands could do housework while wives work, but that's not what this article is about. And of course there are men that do help women at home, and for that, I commend you. But, yes, there are single working mothers who do not have anyone to help. This is where this solution comes into play. 

Barack Obama and Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, have brought up the importance of workplace flexibility so that women can succeed in the workplace and in the home. It is a discussion that is beginning to reach employers across the United States. 

Interview with Amber Lusvardi, Millikin University Professor

I interviewed Amber Lusvardi, a professor of social sciences and feminist studies at Millikin University. Here she shares her thoughts, knowledge, and opinions. 

Q: Do you feel women deserve equal pay? Why?

A: Women, of course, deserve equal pay to men for doing equal work. We have recognized this in the United States since the Equal Pay Act was signed in 1963. However, despite the Equal Pay Act, and other legislation trying to shore up equality between men and women, women still make less money than men for doing the same work. This is a form of continued discrimination against women.


Q: What major historical events have led up to the equality of women?

A:  The first major event in the women’s rights movement was the Seneca Fall’s Convention of 1848, the first ever large convention for women’s rights in the United States. It was organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Following that would be the fight for women’s suffrage, which was not won until 1920. At the same time that the civil rights movement for African Americans was happening during the 1960s, a movement for women’s rights was happening as well. Several advancements happened for women during this time period: The Supreme Court case Reed v. Reed, the development of numerous women’s organizations, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the writings of several prominent feminists, including Betty Friedan. Also, more controversially, the case of Roe V. Wade.


Q: What is the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and how has it been significant in the fight for equal pay for women?

A: The Equal Pay Act codified the notion that women should be paid the equivalent of males for doing similar work in the same work environment. Women have still yet to achieve equal pay for many reasons. For one, women take more time off of work to meet the needs of their children and tend to work part-time after the birth of a child or when their child is young. This keeps them from advancing like their male counterparts. Women tend to not ask for raises as frequently as men. Also, it is difficult to prove cases of pay inequality because it requires women to know how much money their male counterparts are making. 

Q: Do you feel that women are treated differently in the workplace? How?

A: We have come a long way since the 1950s and 1960s when women were openly discriminated against in the workplace. This type of overt and widespread discrimination against doesn’t exist today. If anything, I think women still face the greatest challenges when they are trying to excel in non-traditional roles that don’t fit into our stereotypical ideas about what women “should” do. We still see women struggling to reach high levels of power in business and politics.


Q: What can we do to help further equality for women?

A: To further equality for women, we must first recognize that some forms of discrimination against women still exist. Modern women often shrug off the term “feminist” and feel like the fight for equality is over. However, women still lack equal pay, equal representation in all levels of government, and realistic access to the top levels of business. Also, women are disproportionately affected by violence. Organizations and institutions exist to address the types of issues, but they lack power when we fail to recognize discrimination against women as an issue.

Why am I a Supporter?

Women's rights is a problem. As seen in the articles I posted, women are seen as inferior to men. I feel that in this day and age it's time we develop further and give women equal pay and equal job opportunities as well as to be given the chance to stand up for themselves.

I think right now everyone is exposed to this issue. Part of Obama's campaign included equal rights for everyone so it's a pretty hot topic. In my narrative I explain how many girls even at young ages are exposed to male superiority.

Through news reports it is clear that women's rights around the world are being worked on but there are still major obstacles. Especially for extreme countries that are against women such as Pakistan and Afghanistan. Those are issues that will take a long while to iron out. But for most other places around the world things are slowly looking up.

Steps in the Right Direction

The Internationalization of Women's Issues

By Luisita Lopez Torregrosa
New York Times

Click the link below to view the full article!

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/us/09iht-letter09.html?ref=thefemalefactor

Things seem to be looking up. The U.N. is conscious of women's issues globally and is working to fix it.

"Today there is greater awareness than ever before that women's full participation is essential for peace, democracy and sustainable development." -Michelle Bachelet

 I loved the idea they have to "elect more women as heads of state and government and to parliaments, and promote more women to corporate boards and executive positions; advance and empower women in the developed and developing world; close the gender pay gap; and improve workplace conditions."

How does that sound? I think it sounds pretty great. Getting women in executive and powerful positions could possibly show people that women have these capabilities and should not be second to men. Closing the gender pay gap is included and of course that's a great step. 

However there is, of course, the people that will just simply think that this would be a terrible decision and if it were to happen, the executive women would make things worse for whatever she was leading.

But let's just try and reach that ignorance by empowering women. In a changing and developing world we need to keep changing and developing as well. Women's rights are a part of that development and growth.  

Equality around the World: Yes, but...

"Equal Rights for Women? Survey Says: Yes but..."

By Victoria Shannon

New York Times

Click below to view the full article!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/world/01iht-poll.html?pagewanted=all

The idea of equality for men and women is accepted in most countries around the world. That's great news! The message is getting out! Oh but wait a minute- it's only the idea that is accepted. There's just the part about putting it into action that is important.

Now, I don't want to sound whiny or that I can't be pleased. I mean, yes, it really is great that more and more people are accepting the idea of equality. But the problem lies in those that say and do not act. In the article I posted above there is a quote that wraps it up quite nicely:

“When you’re left out of the club, you know it,” said Prof. Jacqui True, an expert in gender relations and senior lecturer at the University of Auckland. “When you’re in the club, you don’t see what the problem is” (New York Times, Victoria Shannon).

I am so glad that there are many men for women's rights. But as the quote says, if they're "in the club" they are often okay with just saying, "Oh sure, I support equality for women." Once it gets to the point for women to actually join "the club" though, they don't like the idea quite so much.

All I'm saying is, you're on the right track- just go the extra few steps and follow through with what you say. Be a man of your word. If you don't, what is the point?

A Little Rant and Reasons Why this Blog Exists

It's 2013. I thought that by now we would for sure have the whole equality thing figured out but apparently some people still don't get it...It's been how many years since women could vote? How many years since women worked to have equality to do the same work as men? However, it seems that some people simply overlook those monumental events.

We can show our shoulders and ankles in public now. (Crazy, right?) We're also no longer in the 1950's where women long to be housewives. Women are capable of doing everything men can. Yes, I said it. I can hear the old, white, southern men shouting about it as I type. (Sorry for the stereotype, but it's a pretty safe and accurate one.) 

For crying out loud there was a woman running for president in 2008. A very capable woman. However, some completely disregarded her simply because she is a woman. Again, it's 2013. Really? Let's try something fresh and new and stop this irrational nonsense that estrogen is a disability. 

I can guarantee that all girls at some point in this generation have been told to "make a sandwich" by a boy. What's shocking about it, is that boys as young as age 12 are using such phrases. What does that tell us about how our children are being raised? Maybe being a gentleman isn't as popular anymore but boys and girls alike need to have role models that will show them that equality is possible and important. These stereotypes that women make sandwiches and clean the house can be light-hearted and joking. And sure- whatever- I can take a joke. But if at the root of the joke is honesty...that's just not ok. 

 And something I'll never understand is women who are not supportive of women's rights...If I said to a woman, "do you want to work just as hard as this man and not be paid as much?" 

Why would anyone say yes??

Please. If anyone has an answer to that let me know because I really just can't wrap my brain around it. 

 I do not understand the old fashioned mentality. It's time to move forward to equality for women as well as every other person, no matter their race, religion, or sexual orientation.