Posts Tagged ‘ lilly ledbetter ’

Ledbetter, Mikulski and Nine Others Join National Women’s Hall of Fame

October 1, 2011
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Lilly Ledbetter
Lilly Ledbetter

Lilly Ledbetter, the women who bravely fought against unequal pay, and Senator Barbara Mikulski, the longest  serving women in the Senate, were inducted into The National Women’s Hall of Fame today along with nine other remarkable women including civi rights activist Coretta Scott King and jazz singer Billie Holiday. The National Women’s Hall of Fame recognizes the achievements of great American women.  Inductees are selected every two years based on their lasting contributions to society through the arts, athletics, business, education, government, humanities, philanthropy and science.

The other honorees include:

Saint Katherine Drexel, a missionary who helped Native Americans and African Americans

Dorothy Harrison Eustus, who co-founded the country’s first dog guide school

Dr. Loretta C. Ford, who co-founded the nurse practicioner model

Abby Kelley Foster, a women’s rights and anti-slaverly leader

Chemist Helen Murray Free, who co-developed dip-and-read diagnostic test strips

Dr. Donna Shala, the longest serving Secretary of Health and Human Services

Katherine Switzer, the first woman to officially enter the Boston Marathon.

Thanks for the inspiration ladies.

Here’s one of our favorite videos of Senator Mikulski in action:

Why We Need the Paycheck Fairness Act

June 22, 2011
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Pay Secrecy at WorkYears ago, at my second job post-college, my friend and coworker asked me to share my salary. I said no, but she persisted. We were both about to have salary reviews and she argued we had no way to benchmark our raises if we had no idea what others in the firm were getting paid. It made sense, so we snuck into the stairwell of our office building to swap data in secrecy –we were under the impression we could be fired for sharing our pay.

It turns out she was paid $1000 more annually than me. So while in reality our salaries were practically the same, at the time it seemed like a big deal. She gloated. I pouted. And I vowed never to share salary information again – nothing good could come from it.

Not true.

A new report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) titled, “Pay Secrecy and Wage Discrimination,” discusses how pay transparency might reduce the gender wage gap. Today, women earn, on average, 23 percent less than men. And 40 percent of pay inequity can be attributed to pay discrimination.*

But with approximately half of all workers in the United States contractually forbidden or strongly discouraged from discussing their pay with coworkers, per an IWPR/Rockefeller Survey of Economic Security, there is virtually no way to discover pay discrimination.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the Walmart v. Dukes case presented data in the court room pointing to a gender-based pay gap at the giant retailer. But in a place where the evidence “suggests that gender bias suffused” the culture, pay secrecy would have made confirming that data a challenge for women on the job. And Lilly Ledbetter, for whom the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is named, worked at Goodyear for almost two decades before she received an anonymous note tipping her off to the fact she was paid less than men doing the same work.

The Paycheck Fairness Act which was reintroduced this year by Senator Mikulski and Rep. DeLauro after it was rejected by the Senate last fall, will help combat pay secrecy. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand wrote in the Huffington Post that the Paycheck Fairness Act, “would prohibit employers from retaliating against workers for sharing salary information with their co-workers. The legislation would also establish training groups to help women strengthen their negotiation skills, enforce equal pay laws for federal contractors, and require the Department of Labor to work with employers to eliminate wage disparities through better outreach and training.”

Contact your representatives in Congress and ask them to support the Paycheck Fairness Act.

*”The Gender Pay Gap: Have Women Gone as Far as They Can?” (Blau and Kahn, 2007)

 

 

Women’s Progress in Executive Suite Flat Fifth Year in a Row

December 14, 2010
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Stop me if you think that you’ve heard this one before.  

Women have made no gains in the corporate boardroom or the executive suite in the last year. Nor have women increased their presence among companies’ top earners, according to the 2010 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Board Directors and the 2010 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Executive Officers and Top Earners released yesterday.

According to the report,

  • Women held just 15.7 percent of board seats in 2010 rep resenting a mere 0.5 percentage points above 2009.
  • Women held only 14.4 percent of executive officer positions, up from 13.5 percent in 2009.
  • And as far as earning the big bucks, in 2010, women executive officers held only 7.6 percent of the top earner positions, up from 6.3 percent in 2009.

And progress was flat as far as the number of companies with no women serving on the board of directors (more than 10 percent) and the number of companies with no women executive officers. This is the fifth year women’s progress has remained flat. This is what we are talking about when we refer to the glass ceiling. Women still face both obvious and subtle barriers on their way to the corner office.

In fact, additional research from Catalyst (Mentoring: Necessary But Insufficient for Advancement,) shows that mentoring, long thought to be an effective tool for advancing a career, is more effective for men than women. According to the data, “men with mentors had starting salaries in their first post-MBA jobs that were, on average, $9,260 higher than the starting salaries of women with mentors.” The data also shows men receive more promotions than women and those promotions come with bigger raises – 21 percent vs. women’s two percent.

What does appear to be an effective strategy for advancing women, according to the research, is sponsorship, when a senior-level person advocates for a woman inside the organization. The learning here is that the traditional diversity and women’s programs are not enough. They are a good start, but businesses must put some muscle behind their memos. It’s the same reason we need legislation to support fair pay. The Equal Pay Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Act represent progress, but they don’t solve the problem of unfair wages.

Businesses would do well to recognize the benefits of a diverse management team and take the steps to get there. Women are half the workforce and represent half the talent pool.  And doesn’t it just make sense that if a business is trying to reach a diverse (read not just white male) customer base, it should add different perspectives to its corporate thought process?

Now is the Time to Pass Paycheck Fairness Act

September 22, 2010
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National Women's Law Center Wage Gap Check

It is time to pick up the phone, call your Senators (1-877-667-6650) and urge them to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. Proponents of this legislation, which was passed by the House last year, hope the Senate will finally take up this bill before breaking for the November elections.

The gender wage gap still exists, despite reports to the contrary. According to information from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, based on data from the US Bureau of the Census, in 2009 women earned, on average, .23 cents less than men.*  Median annual earnings for employed women were $36,278, compared with $47,127 for men. That data moves from unfair to alarming when you consider women are now breadwinners in two-thirds of all U.S. households. According to the U.S. Census  Bureau,  the United States added 360,000 female-headed households in 2009, compared to 2008. When you do the math, you see that the wage gap isn’t just bad for women, it’s bad for our national economy. If 360,000 households realized an additional $10,849 annually (the difference between men and women’s median annual earnings), potentially $3,905,640,000 could flow through the economy. Imagine a $3 billion stimulus package  for all Americans. No special interest bailouts, no partisan policies or packages, just a few billion dollars in fair wages flowing back to American families and American businesses.

The Paycheck Fairness Act will help fight pay discrimination in a number of ways including prohibiting employers from punishing employees for sharing salary information with their coworkers, and improving the collection of pay information by the EEOC. I am reminded of a conversation I had with a Wall Street woman who said regarding pay, “(Today) there is no ability to really validate where you stand vs. a male peer.  In the end, each one of us has to cut our own deal. Men are still at the top in large numbers and they control the pay.”

Opponents of the law have two main concerns. First, that it will open up employers to a barrage of lawsuits by helping plaintiffs recover compensatory and punitive damages including for past acts of discrimination. And second, that the gender gap is not caused by discrimination but by choice – that women often choose to work in jobs that offer more flexible benefits but lower pay, and that women often opt to leave the workforce all together to stay home and care for their families.

But these arguments don’t take into affect the realities of working women that can’t easily be measured on a spreadsheet.  Regardless of whether the path is cleared for lawyers to file gender suits against employers, the path for women who make those claims will still be far from easy. One need look no further than the hateful, misogynist statements left in the comment sections of the stories about the three women who filed the recent suit against Goldman Sachs, or even the Ines Sainz situation.  And while it may look like women are opting out of the 9 to 5 grind so they can attend Mommy and Me classes in between trips to the grocery store and the gym, the reality is many working women leave work because American business have made it close to impossible to manage, or even afford, work and family through inadequate family leave policies, cost prohibitive child care and too few sick days.

A desire for gender equity should be reason enough to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. But since that argument doesn’t seem to work for our legislators, then call them today (1-877-667-6650) and urge them to vote yes in support of all American families struggling to manage work and home and survive in today’s difficult economic times.

*The wage gap is even greater for Black and Hispanic women.

Dear Mr. President

July 29, 2010
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Dear Mr. President:

I just watched your appearance on “The View.” I had never watched the show before; I’d only seen clips on YouTube of  Whoopi Goldberg saying what Roman Polanski did wasn’t “rape rape” and then defending Mel Gibson, because after all what he’s accused of doing isn’t really “abuse abuse.”

The show wasn’t bad and I appreciate the accessibility you offer the media. But Mr. President, here’s the thing: just because I am a woman, just because I am a mom, even though I voted for you and am happy to have you in the White House, you will not win me over by going on daytime television. You could appear on “Real Housewives of New York” or guest star on “Glee” and I wouldn’t care. No, Mr. President – this woman – this American, voting, blogging, mother wants to hear more than standard sound bites interspersed with tales of your family vacation and thoughts on Lindsey Lohan and Justin Bieber spouted from a studio sofa.

If you are trying to appeal to women, than why not address questions about women’s issue? Questions like:

When will we see some progress with the Fair Pay Act? The Lilly Ledbetter Act was a great start but there’s much more work to be done and the wage gap is not closing.

What is the Administration doing to support working families? Where are we with affordable childcare and paid sick leave?

Why haven’t we signed The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)? To date, 186 of 193 countries have ratified the treaty. The United States has not.

What more can be done to protect women in the Armed Forces from rape and harassment?

 Why are our maternal mortality rates so high?

What is happening to our reproductive rights and what are you doing to protect them?

And Mr. President, I don’t care how you deliver the substance. A boring press conference is fine with me. But if  you want women to support you, then show us your support of women.

Sincerely,

Hello Ladies

Why Men Should Demand Equal Pay for Women

April 20, 2010
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It’s Equal Pay Day. Again. Every year on a Tuesday in April we recognize Equal Pay Day. Tuesday because a women would have to work a full week and then two more days to earn as much as a man earned in one week. April because a woman would have to work a full year and then four more months to earn what a man earned in one year.

Women who work full-time are paid on average just .77 cents for every dollar a man in the same job earns. That translates to a $10,622 gap in median earnings between men and women.  The gap is even greater for non-white  women.

Ten thousand dollars is a lot of money for:

-           the 9.9 million families that are headed by single mothers and rely on women’s wages

-          the 1.9 million married couples with children who depend solely on women’s earnings

-          the 15 million married couples with children who need both parents’ earnings

-          me, the sole breadwinner for my family.

For some, that $10,622 is a matter of survival. Thirty-seven percent of women-headed families with children are poor according to the National Women’s Law Center. They could use that money for groceries, rent, childcare, diapers and healthcare.

For more fortunate families like mine, $10,622 could be used for home improvements, a real vacation for my deserving children, investment in my 401k or my children’s college funds, dinner out with the family. In other words, I could invest that $10,622 into the economy. Actually, if wages were equal, I could invest more than that $10,622 because I live in Massachusetts where women only earn on average 76.5 cents for every dollar a man earns. And yes, I would treat myself to a new pair of shoes every now and again.

Women writers and activists are blogging, tweeting and speaking out for equal pay today and that’s great. But it’s time for the mostly male CEOs at the major consumer packaged good companies, the local merchants, the tradesmen who’s business are suffering as a result of the recession, to join in the fight for equal pay. If women were paid equal wages, those men would see an increase in business.

Equal pay is not just a woman’s issue. This is not just a family issue. The gender wage gap affects every single American. Let’s close it together.

Click here to send a letter to your legislators demanding fair pay.

(Graphic from lickingcalcutta.blogpsot.com used with Creative Commons license i46.photobucket.com/…/Feminism/d36cdcef.jpg.)

Gender Equality: Is it Heartbreak Hill?

April 19, 2010
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Today was the 114th running of the Boston Marathon and a record number of women participated as registered runners. Out of 26,790 entrants, 11,350 were women. That’s an impressive number considering women have only been allowed to run in the Boston event for 38 years.

From the start of the race in 1897 up until 1972, women were barred from participating. It doesn’t surprise me that women were excluded in the beginning. It annoys me – but doesn’t surprise me. But I didn’t realize women were barred during my lifetime.  

When I hear about this kind of blatant gender discrimination happening just one generation ahead of me, I wonder how my parents and teachers had the gall to tell me I could grow up to do or be anything I wanted to be.  What made them believe that, when they witnessed blatant discrimination first hand? I can only suppose the women who took risks and shattered stereotypes were so inspiring that people wanted to believe the doors they opened would never close behind them.*

Now that I am raising a daughter, I am more cautious than my parents were about what I tell her. I feel I should set realistic expectations. Yes, she lives in a world where there is more gender equity than in previous generations, but I don’t want to create a false sense of reality. Sure, I’ve witnessed strong women blaze trails. Hillary Clinton ran for president, but she’s not in the Oval Office. And Lilly Ledbetter fought pay discrimination, but women still earn .77 cents for every dollar a man earns.

What do you think? Are women today more or less optimistic than their mothers were about women’s equality?

*Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon in 1966. She wrote about her experience here. It’s a beautiful read.

Celebrating Lilly

January 29, 2010
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It’s January 29 so today we are honoring two women named Lilly. The first, Lilly Ledbetter, a brave woman who fought against pay discrimination so that all women would have a better chance at earning a fair salary. Jan. 29 is the anniversary of President Obama signing the Lily Ledbetter Act into law. Thank you Ms. Ledbetter.  We know your work is not finished. So ladies, please take a moment and send a message to your Senators telling them to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. Despite all of Lilly Ledbetter’s hard work, the wage gap has widened. Women earn, on average just .77 cents for every dollar a man earns. Women of color earn even less.

January 29 also means it’s cold here in New England. There is snow on the ground, the temperature is 18 degrees F, and the wind is gusting to 28 mph. It’s the kind of day that makes us long for summer on Cape Cod. And it’s impossible to think about the Cape without thinking about the unofficial Cape Cod uniform – a Lilly Pulitzer dress.

Lilly Pultizer was a New York Socialite who moved to Palm Beach with her husband in the 1950s. Although she never had to work a day in her life, she was unhappy doing nothing and so she opened a juice bar on the tony Worth Avenue. She designed her own cotton shift dress to wear to work and soon customers started ordering more dresses than juice from her. “The Lilly” was born.

So today, let’s also pay tribute to Lilly Pulitzer, a business woman who lived life according to her own rules, and who dressed to please herself and no one else. Ms. Pulitzer does not need us to sign any petitions, but feel free to check out her 2010 summer collection here.

Hooray for the Lillys!

On Ledbetter Anniversary, Paycheck Fairness Act Gets Attention

January 26, 2010
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I think I owe you some good news. Don’t you? Well here it is. I just got off a conference call with Senator Dodd, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Marcia Greenberger, Co-President of the National Women’s Law Center, and Lilly Ledbetter. Senator Dodd announced he has support from Senator Tom Harkin, Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to start hearings on the Paycheck Fairness Act.

As you may know, this week is the one year anniversary of President Obama signing the Lilly Ledbetter Act into law. The Ledbetter law gives employees a longer window to file discrimination claims. It is an important piece of legislation, but as Ledbetter said on the call, “The work is far from done.”

The Paycheck Fairness Act will strengthen the Ledbetter Act. One of the most important aspects of the bill is it will prohibit retaliation against employees who ask about or disclose their wages. Said Ledbetter, “This would have been particularly helpful to me. This policy delayed my discovery (that she was being paid less than her male peers) by decades.”

The House passed the Paycheck Fairness legislation in July 2008 but the Senate has not yet acted on it. Hearings are just the start of the process – a bill would hopefully follow and then Dodd would seek floor time in the spring. It is encouraging to hear there is movement on this legislation.

Unfortunately since the passage of the Ledbetter Act, the wage gap has increased not decreased. We need to keep working for equal pay and support the efforts of Dodd and DeLauro. As Rep. DeLauro said this morning, “This is not about women. This is about families.”  If female breadwinners are bringing home less money than they deserve, entire families are shortchanged.

Click here to send a message to your Senators that we need fair pay. I will certainly be sending a message to my new Senator.

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