We need a little activism, right this very minute

I'm asking Americans (and US residents) to act on these two issues today. One is for PPD legislation, and one is to correct a misconception about Fair Pay for women. I did both right before I posted them.

1) From Susan Dowd Stone, President of Postpartum Support International:

We Must Speak Out in Full Support of Postpartum Depression (PPD) Legislation NOW.

Click here to Connect and be Counted!

You may have heard the complaints on the internet lately; asking readers to block passage of legislation to help new mothers and their families cope with postpartum depression. The House and Senate both have legislation - H.R. 20 and S. 1375 - that some mistakenly believe is a conspiracy to push new mothers to take medication.

Tell that to the more than 800,000 women who will develop a diagnosable postpartum mood disorder this year! This does not include the 7.5% of women who will develop major depression during pregnancy.

How disappointing! Those who are speaking out against the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act obviously know little to nothing about this legislation. Some are even saying that Melanie Blocker-Stokes, who took her own life after suffering this illness, was simply just sad.

This could not be farther from the truth! Ask her mother, Carol Blocker, who has dedicated her life to the passage of this protective legislation named in honor of her daughter.

This legislation does NOT recommend drugs, require drugs, or endorse drugs. What it does is:

• Encourage the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the research into the causes of postpartum conditions and find treatments.
• Establish a national public awareness campaign to increase awareness and knowledge of PPD and psychosis.
• Make grants available for programs that develop and offer essential services to women with PPD.

Even if you have already done so, please take the time to let your representatives in Washington know that you support this vital legislation . Help counter the misinformation they are currently receiving!

Click here to Connect and Be Counted!

One Person Can Make a Difference.

2) John McCain's huge gaffe about the disparity in pay, from MomsRising.org:

We woke up this morning to an article which made us think the calendar had been switched back 50 years while we were sleeping. Yesterday, the Senate failed to pass the Fair Pay Act. What was almost worse than that defeat were the out-of-touch, misinformed -- and downright insulting -- statements about women.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who didn't even come to vote, said that instead of legislation allowing them to demand equal pay, women simply need "education and training."¹ Not only is his information wrong -- women are currently paid less for the same work, even though they have the same education and training -- he's also sending a message to our nation, to our sons and daughters, that this pay gap is okay, and it's women's fault for being paid less. Not so!

We have the perfect way to show Senator McCain just how qualified we really are.

*Sign the Petition for Fair Pay & Send Senator McCain Your Resume (or thoughts on the matter) while you're at it:
  http://www.momsrising.org/fairpaymccain

When you sign the petition, you'll join us in telling Congress: "We Need Equal Pay for Equal Work -- it is good law, make it enforceable again."

(Don't have your resume perfected? At the link above, you can also write a quick note. And, you can describe your training and qualifications to bring the Senator up-to-date. Got friends and colleagues who are more than well-enough educated and trained to deserve equal pay? Tell them to send their resumes in, too!)

Women now make up 58% of college graduates and nearly half of the labor force, but still earn less pay for the same work as men. Worse yet, mothers only make 73 cents to a man's dollar, for the exact same job. College graduate, high school graduate, law school diploma, nursing degree, whatever your training; women should make equal pay for equal work.

Senator McCain's statement is a sad testament to the fact that many leaders are out of touch with the realities of working women today. Maybe as a Senator with only 16 women colleagues, he's simply out of touch with the reality that America has a broad and deep pool of highly qualified, trained, and utterly capable women. Let's remind him of that fact.

Sign the petition for Fair Pay, add your resume and/or comments, forward this email around to friends, and help us change this country, one leader at a time:
   http://www.momsrising.org/fairpaymccain

-- Kristin, Katie, Roz, Anita, Amy, Joan, Donna, Nanette, and the whole MomsRising.org Team

[1] http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/23/mccain-opposes-senate-bill-that-sought-equal-pay-for-women/

---

THE LILLY LEDBETTER FAIR PAY ACT LOWDOWN:

Yesterday the Senate voted 56 Yea to 42 Nea (with 60 votes needed to pass) on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised to bring this Act up for a vote again within the next year.  All our voices, coming together, can help get those extra 3 votes needed to turn the tide.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831) is an important legislative "fix" to a May 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision (Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.), which severely limited the ability of victims of pay discrimination to sue and recover damages under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Without this "fix," the impact of the Court's decision will likely be widespread, affecting pay discrimination cases under Title VII involving women and racial and ethnic minorities, as well as cases under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Basically, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is a narrow "fix" to reestablish law that was in place until the U.S. Supreme Court Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. decision of last year.  This Act stops us from losing ground on civil rights and fixes a fundamental unfairness in the workplace which many women face.

SOME PRESS LINKS ABOUT THE LEDBETTER DECISION:

New York Times Ledbetter Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/30/us/30pay.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Washington Post Ledbetter Article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/29/AR2007052900740.html
New York Times Ledbetter Editorial: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/opinion/31thu1.html
LA Times Ledbetter Editorial: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-court31may31,0,6046584.story?coll=la-opinion-leftrail

WHAT OUR ALIGNED ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TO SAY:

Alliance for Justice, http://www.afj.org/assets/resources/take-action/ledbetter-background-final.pdf
Alliance for Justice's 5 minute documentary short on Lilly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w1eSymFBOg
National Women's Law Center, http://www.nwlc.org/display.cfm?section=employment
National Organization for Women, http://www.now.org/issues/economic/070530equalpay.html

Comments

[Frema]

Thanks for calling attention to these issues, Moxie! I've already signed the MomsRising petition AND sent in my resume (through MomsRising) to John McCain. The idea that women aren't working to a man's capacity is not only insulting but WRONG. I have a master's degree and six years of experience in my field--the education is there. The training is there. The pay? I'm paid well, but probably not.

[MrsHaley]

Done and done.

Hopefully Senator McCain will be impressed by my 2 advanced degrees, 10 years of professional experience and 2 years of SAHM experience. You BET I put that on my resume!
He might think it's silly. He'll be wrong.

[sue]

done.

I was so enraged by Senator McCain's comments last week. I'm glad to have an outlet to speak aobut it. Thanks, Moxie.

[Lisa F.]

done and done. thanks for posting this.

[Sheryl]

I recently found out accidentally that I make less than a male coworker who has the same job description, but less experience, less education, and ultimately, less responsibility. The difference? He is married and has a child. It isn't a big disparity, but it is enough. I can't do anything about it because I would have to admit that I got a glimpse of his paystub (though it is his fault for leaving it on his desk).

I'll be signing both petitions when I can get a better internet connection.

[SarcastiCarrie]

I am always amazed by women who don't make as much as men. I, like McCain, always assumed it was a career choice situation of line of work or flexibility or something. In engineering, women often/usually make as much if not more than men. We are rare (and everyone wants to show off their diversity creds) so we get the money. I've done WAHM, WOHM, SAHM and it has not hurt my earning potential at all. But maybe I'm an aberration. I certainly can go days and days and days at work without seeing another woman.

What is a career where women don't earn as much as men? I've heard nursing, but to me that sounds like it's not so much that women don't make as much as men, but the same thing I mentioned...there just aren't that many men, so the law of supply and demand gives men more $$ (not women less).

I think I must be WAY outside the mainstream on this.

[amy]

@SarcastiCarrie,
I wonder about it too. I think in my field (I'm a college instructor) it's as much a matter of education and training as it is a matter of seniority and time on the job. I'm a part-timer for several reasons. I only got a Masters (was married, broke, and wanted to "get on with my life"), so I didn't get a full-time job out of grad school. I've had to start as a part-timer and "get experience." Even though the pay scale at my college is based on total number of credits and semesters taught (and I've been at the same school for over 5 years), I have had to take semesters off to have my daughter and I'll be off again for the entire fall semester having my second baby. (There is no maternity leave for part-timers. You just lose a semester, or however long you want off.) My male counterparts have not had to do this, so they continue to advance while I pause. So in a field dominated by women, the full-time faculty is about half men and the adjunct faculty (like me) is more than half women.

Is it, a la McCain, my fault I'm not getting paid as much as the male adjuncts? Ultimately yes because it's my fault for not putting off having babies in favor of completing a PhD, and then for having babies and having them at times inconvenient to the academic calendar.

Okay, here I am - ending my rant. Sorry for the hijack. :|

[Julie]

I'm an elementary school teacher. We all make the same. It's based on years of experience, not ability to do the job. I have a masters and get a yearly stipend (that doesn't equal much) for that. But this system is so broken it's embarrassing to even start talking about it. A highly gifted and accomplished teacher can be teaching next door to someone who has been phoning it in for years and their compensation will be identical. It's very, very sad.

But I'm still outraged at John McCain for being so out of touch on so many issues.

[pnuts mama]

Re: equal pay for equal work misconceptions- I have a feeling an awful lot of this can be traced back to how women in our generation have perceived the 'third wave of feminism' and our continued need for working for progress across the board.

first, a majority of women born since 1960 or so originally rejected the term feminism growing up- it has been portrayed in such a negative way on so many fronts- that many of us will say "well, i'm not a feminist, but...(i believe that women should have equal pay for equal work, equal access to education, equal say in our marriage/partnerships, etc. etc)". in fact, most of us would agree with many feminist principles, but don't like to be defined as a part of that collective.

second- for many of us, we didn't think there was a need for 'feminism'- our moms worked, maybe our dads were less 'traditional' in their roles, we saw women as leaders, and overall were raised with a common misperception that the work of equality for women in the US was mostly done. it hasn't been til many of us entered the workforce/academia/became moms and were in it for quite a few years before it became clear that glass ceilings still exist, that disparity in pay is commonplace, and overall that a great deal of sexism still exists in society.

third- with regard to pay specifically, historically women are less likely to *ask* for more money when originally hired, and for a raise as they go on. nature/nurture continues to encourage women to 'play nice' and that assertiveness is not attractive- which normally doesn't cross a man's radar (for the same reasons). also, women tend to justify their pay by thinking things like "well, since i don't/can't work later every night, since i take an hour here and there to take my kid to the dr, etc etc, that's the trade off for my paycheck being the same as it was 3 years ago."

finally, it's more subtle then it was even 30 years ago, but sexism and misogyny continues to be perpetrated by patriarchal systems in nearly every part of our society. i'm not suggesting everything is a crazy conspiracy, but lets face it, we can use the election this year as a good example of how far we haven't come when we listen to some of the language used to describe the female candidate currently running for president.

sorry to go off there, but i've been working on this piece about women this week so it's all fresh. i'm interested to read the comments, get other perspectives on this as well.

off to those sites- thanks moxie!

[rudyinparis]

I think often there's a trickle down effect with wage disparity... and that rarely it's something as clear cut as a man and a woman with the same credentials doing the same job. So it might be that a woman chooses a career that typically is not prestigious or high-paying because of life demands (children, aging parents) that often fall on a woman's shoulders. Also that many women need/want to zigzag more, careerwise, due to these demands. I know in my profession--I'm a librarian--we have a saying for this disparity: Question: What do you call a male librarian? Answer: a Director. Meaning by showing up and breathing men often get the top position. Seriously, it's freakishly out of proportion, the number of male directors considering the total number of men in the field. It's pretty much the same thing as how most violists in orchestras are women, but most first chairs are men. Why is that?

Anyway, Moxie, thanks for the Monday morning kick in the behind.

[Katherine Stone]

Thank you for writing about the MOTHERS Act petition. I can understand why everyone is so teed off about equal pay, as am I. I would hope we can get equally as passionate about protecting and supporting the mental health of new mothers, who are often either too afraid to speak up or completely blown off when they suffer emotional difficulties after the birth of their children.

[hush]

I think the issue is we live in a de facto patriarchal society. You either see this in your daily life, or you don't. But puhleeze don't assume that the fact you don't personally see it means it does not exist.

Pay disparity is going to show itself most clearly in corporate America, as opposed to positions with lock-step payscales or gov't jobs, etc where there is less input from direct managers as to pay.

So much goes on behind closed doors, and we often don't know we're getting shortchanged until we find a colleague's errant paystub on a desk, or a tax return left in the copier. Sheryl's anecdote illustrates this so perfectly.

When an employer is dividing salary resources amongst employees, the fact that his male employee "has a family to provide for" is a very powerful narrative in our society. The employer identifies with the man's situation as a perceived financial provider, whereas it's commonly believed that a married woman's husband will support her, and a childless single woman doesn't need to make as much money as her male colleage with a family to support.

Blaming the victim rhetoric only goes so far -- "Women chose to have kids; Well, she chose a less well-paying job like teaching or social work; She can't negotiate properly" etc. All of these excuses still do not explain the statistical reality that if women are just over 50% of the US population, why aren't they running at least 50% all the major corporations, and 50% of the law firms, and why don't they hold at least 50% of all public offices?? It still doesn't explain why women and girls are socialized to choose certain professions over others, and why when people are quizzed about their impressions of the person holding the occupation of "surgeon" or "hedge fund manager" the majority still think of a man.

All I'm saying is - let's just be real.

[rudyinparis]

Hush, good for you. As they say--if you're not infuriated, then you're not paying attention.

And just to clarify, I don't think women SHOULD get paid less for "choosing" to be caretakers. I think that instead just illustrates how messed up and hypocritical our society/media/government is when it claims to value children. If it truly did, it would value mothers and not be spanking us with wage disparity and crazy out of control responsibilities with little or no social support structures.

I watched an old Bill Maher stand up routine (from 2000) this past weekend. He says, disgustedly: "Oh, right, and our *children* are our most precious resource! Get real! Our most precious resource is petroleum, people! Wake up!"

[Emily]

Thanks, Moxie, for starting this discussion. In my field (academia), this is a big deal. Women consistently earn less than men for performing the same job. Looking through this web page is a good way to make yourself angry. http://chronicle.com/stats/aaup/

[anonymous]

@SarcastiCarrie: Another field women don't earn as much as men? Restaurants/hotels/hospitality/cooking.

As a trained chef (with a college education AND culinary degree) I consistently earned less than my male counterparts and was discriminated against because much of the restaurant industry is still very macho.

Many kitchens I have worked in may have had 1 or 2 women in them, and we had to work our butts off to prove ourselves, which often resulted in us stabbing each other in the backs to get ahead.

The last chef I worked under gave me a much harder time than he did my male counterpart, who did the exact same work with less experience and education; and I had to work extra hard to convince the chef I was worth making the little money he was paying me, since it was a constant sore spot with him. I was told by him that he was "splurging" on me with my pay. Gee, thanks!

My husband, on the other hand, works at a university and several of his higher-ups are women who are holding very prestigious positions (the highest of them has 3 children). I don't know how much they make but it would seem that there is a more level playing ground there because it is a lot about where you studied, who you studied under, etc.

Since having my child I have looked for a work a couple of times and have not had a single job offer because, as one interviewer put it after seeing me with my child, "you realize we're a restaurant and we're open late, right?" Wow, no kidding?! I was told to call when I'm done with my "mommy stuff".

[Christi]

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I'm glad to support increased PPD care for women, especially given my own experiences with PPD. Moxie, I rely on you to keep me current on these opportunities for activism and I'm proud to make a small difference. Thank you so much.

[caramama]

Thanks Moxie for highlighting both these issues.

I can't believe that there is a petition going around for people NOT to support women with PPD! This is ridiculous!! Have these people not read the news? Are they not aware of how devastating PPD can be on women, their partners and their children?!?! This is why I try hard to speak up about how difficult PPD was for me and make people realize that it truly affects women in ways that they can't forsee.

And about the equal pay...

I've got a Masters and been out in the work force a year longer than my husband (who has the same degrees I do). I've worked in my current company a year before my husband joined the same company. I have almost 8 years of experience in my specific field, while my husband has about 5-6 years experience. I'm in IT, a historically high-paying career, while he is in something that historically does not pay as much. Up until 2 years ago, I was making more than my husband.

And then, he got an out-of-cycle raise, and then a promotion. That same year, I got a promotion, but no out-of-cycle raise. His management wanted to reward him for the hard work he has been doing and the fact that he was being paid below the market average for what he was doing. He absolutely deserved that raise and the promotion.

I, on the other hand, did not get promoted the previous year, when many many people thought I should have been and when my skill set and performance should have shown it (the person who wrote my assessment was told to change it so I didn't look like a promotion candidate and doing as well as I was). I also have not been brought up to my market average, although pretty much every man at my level, in my company, in my field makes more than me.

I switched management teams (in part because of my issues in this area), and I have recently had a conversation with my new manager (who I've known for years) about the unfair pay and that I want to be paid as much as the men I work with (and as much as my husband!). He is in total agreement, but can't do it out of cycle. He said he'll take care of me at my next review. If he does not, I will probably leave the company, which in almost every other way has been fantastic to work for.

So there is an example of someone who is not getting paid as much as the men in her company for the same background, same qualifications, same job, etc. and who isn't afraid to ask for it EVERY YEAR, and yet still hasn't gotten equal pay. I often get big raises, but not quite as much or not quite enough to bring me equal. They have had many reasons why, but now it just sounds like a lot of BS to me. Wish me luck this year!

[Sarah]

This means more to me than ever. I was laid off this past Wednesday by a firm I moved to DE for. I was constantly up against a good old boys club and, in the end, I was tossed on a chopping block while other, less qualified, men got to keep their jobs.

Now I'm struggling with the idea of being a SAHM or even just staying home in general since the first time since I graduated college 12 years ago. I feel so very lost. I don't know what to do with myself.

Hopefully with awareness things will change for the better for women everywhere.

[Charisse]

@SarcastiCarrie, I love you, because you sound just like an engineer! I work with lots of engineers and man, you have to prove stuff to them--which is specifically my job as a UX researcher, actually, and I enjoy it. Good for you for making it, but I agree with others that I see plenty of disparity, and also that it tends to operate at a more subtle level in a lot of fields. My best example:

Mr. C and I both graduated from the same very good university in 1992 with similar degrees. My grades were better and I had honors (not that employers do or should care about that). It was 1992, the economy was awful, we both after long searches ended up with crummy first jobs that didn't use our training much at all. Not whining here--we were kids, etc. So with both of us basically in unglorified admin-type jobs, we did our best and were both heavily praised for our abilities and efforts. However--here's the key thing--Mr. C being praised led to his employers *looking for a role that better used his talents*...while mine led to me being lauded as the best person in this low-level role that my company had ever had, and discouraged from applying to other roles because they would hate to lose me.

Got myself out of there as soon as I could, but it took a couple years and paying for a graduate course in a new field before my resume was looked at seriously. That experience opened my eyes a lot.

@caramama, good luck!!

[Charisse]

@Sarah, so sorry to hear you got laid off!! Hopefully you were given a decent package and have time to think. If staying home isn't what you want, please don't feel that's the only possible option. (And if it is what you want, then congratulations and I'm sure that after an adjustment all will be well.)

My story: I was laid off from a large company a couple years ago when Mouse was 21 months old. I kept her in full-time daycare while I took a breather and then found my way into a shifted and much more fun career. I couldn't be happier about how that all turned out--it was definitely the right decision for our specific family.

Please feel free to email me (the link in my sig goes to a page with my personal address) if you need support.

[pnuts mama]

@caramama, hush, etc.- i didn't mean to imply that *all* women don't ask for raises or equal pay, but just that _historically_ many women are made to feel that what they earn is what they're worth (both externally and internally) and it's a pervasive and often unspoken message that is supported in many fields that women shouldn't ask for more than they're offered. when a man asks for a raise, it shows that he's trying to "get ahead"- in a good way. when a woman does it, her worth is questioned.

i used to work in the field of advertising/marketing. that industry is a hellhole for women, IMO, and the boys-only network is alive and kicking. i was once told by an older female co-worker not to be foolish and have kids right away if i ever wanted to get anywhere in the company or field. the male-pack mentality that saturated certain divisions (and was encouraged by the management/owners) was rampant- i couldn't believe in this day and age men still spoke that way about/to women, and treated women who were equals or superiors (clients even!) with such disrespect to outright contempt. but each of those men knew how to act in a n appropriate manner when necessary- always getting around the system. it was so nasty.

i will say that in my area of academia i've observed the issue of women being equal to men as being not as bad- due i would imagine to the fact that many of the tenured profs all came up through the ERA era of the 60's/70's and are pretty liberal in their social views- so 'feminism' is still an ideal that they hold on to dearly. that is, of course, until the woman ruins it by choosing to have children, which that generation still views with some disdain- why, when given the choice, would you choose to hold yourself back like that? being a parent is only acceptable (it seems to me) in this field as long as you're able to completely compartmentalize it and never ever allow it to affect your work.

[SarcastiCarrie]

@caramama - Good luck. One of the most disheartening things I have ever heard is something like "You're too valuable for us to promote you...we couldn't get along without you." Total demotivation.

Ande who are these people who are against researching screening and treatment for PPD? Were they raised by wolves instead of mothers?

After all these years, I am still amazed how little awareness PPD has (especially considering how Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois "harassed" me repeatedly into taking PPD questionnaires and had a nurse call me and kept sending me mail with information and resources and a 24-hour nurse staffed hotline).

One more thing....on everyone's recommendation, I bought "Siblings Without Rivalry" and am enjoying it thoroughly. I'm 2/3-through in the part on not putting your children into "roles" (and not letting them put each other or themselves into roles). I am loving it. It's a good read for adult children to try and figure out why they still harbor resentments against their siblings. A must-read.

[SJ]

oh, it's good to be back reading askmoxie (baby girl was born three weeks ago)
thanks so much Moxie for both of these - they are both on my mind so much right now. PPD because I was feeling pretty good after baby girl's birth, but then last week wound up back in the hospital with a mystery infection - almost the same timing as when I was hospitalized following my son's birth. It's made me very depressed but I am trying to deal with it (therapy appointment next week, Moxie's list) before it can develop into anything worse.

as for the fair pay - it is astonishing how much this still exists. check out Evelyn Murphy's website and book-
http://www.wageproject.org/

She's the former Lt. Governor of MA, and has been speaking about the wage gap across the country. Her book is called "Getting Even"

[Louisa]

Done, and Done!

I suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of my first child. I was lucky enough to have good health insurance, a good support system, and almost instant access to a good psychiatrist. As a result, my depression was treated within 2 weeks of my daughter's birth. We both went on to bond, grow, and thrive. Every woman (and every new baby's mama!) should have access to this care!

[Louisa]

P.S. I sent Senator McCain notes on my doctorate, my academic ranks and awards, my published articles, and my 8 years of experience. Happy reading, John!

[caramama]

@Sarah - Sorry about being laid off. That really sucks. Hopefully you have some time to figure out what you want to do.

@pnuts mama - I totally agree that a lot of the disparity in pay is historically because women are treated different in the work place and often because women communicate differently from men in the historically male-dominated workplace. (I love the book Talking 9 to 5, by Deborah Tannen, and highly recommend it.) I just wanted to point out that I tend to talk more like the men I work with in my workplace, and yet I'm still not paid as much as most of them. So it's more than just communication style in many places. Old boys club is indeed still alive and kicking. And my very large company is actually really great in regards to working women, and working parents in general! I do believe that it was the management I was under that kept this unequality, as my husband's coworkers are mostly women and they are paid equal.

@SarcastiCarrie - That's it. I've gotta buy that book. Thanks for adding another recommendation.

@SJ - Congrats on the baby!!! Good luck with the therapist! Take the fish oil!

[Tami]

I haven't had a chance to read the above comments, so forgive me if I'm saying something that's already been said.

Some points of interest regarding the PPD bills from GovTrack.us:

• The House bill H.R. 20 passed the House on Oct. 15, 2007 and it's now in committee in the Senate.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-20

• The Senate bill S. 1375 was introduced on May 11, 2007 and has since been in committee in the Senate.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-1375

• The committee handling these bills is the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and guess which two prominent senators are a part of this committee: Sen. Hillary Clinton [D-NY] and Sen. Barack Obama [D-IL].
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/committee.xpd?id=SSHR

Fascinating stuff people.

[Melba]

@SarcastiCarrie, I'm an engineer too and I, same as you, don't see unequal pay in my workplace. I live in Canada, and we do tend to be a bit less old fasioned here than in the US, but I still have no idea if the equal pay issue is as prevalent here as it is there. I'm sure it is in other industries and I'm just not exposed to it.

The CEO of my company (and I work for a large company - approx 8000 employees and billions of $ in assets) is a woman, so that does bode well for me in my situation also. I'm a manager of various engineering/technical staff and I do have a lot of say in what they are paid and the only thing that factors into what a person is paid is their performance in their job as a professional. That means that even though I had 8 engineers all doing the same job, their salaries had a good $20-$30K per year spread between the highest performer and the lowest performer. Yes they have th exact same job description but if one is doing exceptionally better quality and quantity of work, and shows leadership and teamwork with his/her colleagues, well that that person will get paid more than the person who does the bare minimum performance acceptable. With that said, both the highest paid and the lowest paid in my group are men. The women are scattered in between. All based on performance.

If I were a US citizen I would certainly have signed the petition. But I'm not so I can't.

[pnuts mama]

@ SJ- CONGRATS!! been thinking about you and all the other mamas out there going through their last few weeks/months...so glad you're all ok!

@sarah- when i was finally laid off from my sinking ship ad company, it was almost the happiest day of my life, in so many ways. it was so freeing to be rid of that weight- and the time i had to pursue what i realized i really wanted to do with my life has proved to be a gift that i never could have imagined. good luck!

[Alyssa]

great post! I linked to it on my blog. thought it was important to spread the word.

[Sarah]

I apologize for the slight hijack concerning my personal issue right now, but it is unmeasurably (is that even a word?) comforting to read of other women this has happened to.

Comforting and enraging that we have to work so much harder to be recognized for our achievements. I actually spoke to one of my principals at the firm a few years ago after finding out a male coworker, who didn't even have a degree, was making MUCH more than I was. It fell on deaf ears.

I, too, was in an engineering firm but I'm a landscape architect. I'm at the crossroads of wanting to branch into another profession (perhaps something that might sustain a recession) but not wanting to give up the past 12 years of hard work. It's all so daunting.

My one boss was simply tyrannical. If I told you all he made some women cry, including me, would I sound pathetic? Cause it's true. Leaving that firm does have its upside. Right now my head is spinning. Thank you all for the kind words.

[hedra]

@Sarah, you still in DE?

[Sarah]

Hedra, yes, still in DE. DH is in the Air Force so moving anywhere is almost entirely dependent upon his career field and where he's needed.

[Melba]

@Sarah, no that's not pathetic. Tyrannical bosses are nothing more than grown-up bullies, if you ask me, and have no place in a successful, well-functioning workplace.

I'm not sure if this is even possible for a landscape architect, but could you switch from working for an engineering firm / consultant to working directly for an owner company? In my experience, if a company has a lot of assets that they own, they tend to treat employees more like assets and are generally better workplaces. I don't know why this is but in the engineering world it is true 99% of the time. Engineering consultants treat employees like crap, in my experience.

Good luck to you!

[Velvet Verbosity]

Another campaign to support Lilly Ledbetter and fair pay practices you should know about is a campaign to get 10,000+ supporters to start boycotting Goodyear on Mother' Day.

If policy makers won't do it, consumers can. Historically, boycotting has been one of the most powerful tools of the masses.

You can read about the campaign at my blog, or just go straight to the campaign here:
https://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/goodyear-needs-to-make-good-on-unfair-pay-treatment-towards-women-starting-with-lilly-ledbetter/headquarters

I am using thepoint.com to manage and promote the campaign. Sign up is easy and free. I hope you'll spread the word about the campaign. We need a lot of momentum to get that number by Mother's Day!!

[Sarah]

Melba, it is possible to work directly for an owner in a small firm. I've done so at a previous job and I actually interviewed with a small firm yesterday afternoon. It may turn out some part-time work which is better than no-time work! Thanks for your well-wishes, too. I hope someday that that good old boys club gets what's coming to it, especially that little Napoleon.

I'm so glad you're all here to offer advice and be supported. It can be isolating for a woman in a male-dominated field. Even moreso now that I'm a mom. It feels good to get together, stand up and be counted.

[Sarah Lena]

I must've just skimmed over this one in my feed reader, but it seems so oddly timed now: last night, I admitted to my husband that I think I need counseling for possible PPD. He said, and I quote, "I guess I just choose to see the happier side of our situation."

I know he means well, because he really was trying to empathize, but I think this issue needs to be shouted from the mountaintops. My baby is now five months old, and I've spent the last half a year trying to "shake the blues" off.

Of course, now, I try to get help and find out that mental health is not covered by my insurance. Bah. Humbug.

[john]

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