Latino and Women Farmers and Ranchers Have Until May 1st to File A Claim

 

Earlier this month Latino USA reported that "in 2000, about 1400 Latino ranchers and farmers sued the US Department of Agriculture for denying them loans based on their ethnicity." Women, like Rosemary Love, were discriminated against on the basis of sex.

While the USDA has announced a claim process, Latino and women farmers are not a class action, thus they must file a claim in order to obtain financial compensation in the form of cash or loan forgiveness. 

Details as to how to file a claim can be found on the USDA's website. The DEADLINE has been extended to May 1, 2013. 

Photo credit: Colorlines

Other things I've written...but not here

Woohoo! It's another post about stuff I've written for other blogs.

First up is a piece I did for Gapers Block last month on the Chicago Bandits and the grand opening of their stadium:

Opening night for the Chicago Bandits, Chicago's professional softball team, was a pitchers' duel between Bandit Monica Abbott and the USSSA Pride's Danielle Lawrie. After a picture perfect first inning, an errant throw by Abbott in the second led to the Pride getting on base. Thankfully she was saved by a clinic-worthy cutoff throw to home to keep the game scoreless. The duel resumed and continued until the bottom of the seventh, when the Bandits skillfully moved Megan Wiggins, who led off the inning, around the bases, capped off with Caitlin Lever's shot to right field to bring Wiggins home. The crowd erupted in a roar to signal the end of the game. [read the rest at Gapers Block]

Second is a bit of an op-ed I write for Gapers Block about the Chicago Red Stars shortened home season:

Women's professional sports has a long history of ups and downs. Women's professional soccer reached its peak in 2000 by riding the wave of Mia Hamm fever and the USA team winning the World Cup in sports bra-baring style. But then the fans did not show up and the Women's United Soccer Association folded in 2003. In 2009, the Women's Professional Soccer League opened shop with a Chicago franchise, the Chicago Red Stars, and played at the beautiful Toyota Park in Bridgeview. They fielded all-star players like Illinoisan Ella Masar and Brazil's Cristiane.[read the rest at Gapers Block]

And no, Andrew hasn't totally roped me into being on staff at Gapers Block. But I am joining their softball team.

Lastly, I wrote a ranty lil piece for Chicagonista on women and unions. I'm sure that one will "haunt" me in the future. But ya know what? I stand by that piece. And hopefully my future self will too.

Late last week, the Mayor said that the city workers union had to come up with contract concessions by July 1st or risk hundreds of layoffs. The current contract was signed by former Mayor Daley and built upon the idea that furlough days would continue and Mayor Emanuel does not want to continue them. And that means real money needs to be cut and by last Friday.

So why am I saying that this is a way on the working women of Chicago?

Think about it. Who are the bulk of Chicago teachers? Women. Women make up 60% of local employees*. When we get to state employees, it is 50.7% of workers, which makes Governor Quinn’s refusal to pay raises important to this state’s women…and as we know, when women are shortchanged, families are shortchanged. [read the whole piece at Chicagonista]

 I'm scheduled for a piece at Girl w/Pen soon, so head over there too.

Equal Pay Day 2010: Wage gap in science and engineering

Today is Blog for Equal Pay Day! 


This post isn't meant to be lazy, but I realized that the idea I had for today I already did over at Girl w/Pen. Yes, I've finally gotten to the point in my writing where I have forgotten what I've written about. It took a web search to remind me. Oh, so pathetic...but back to today's post....

One reason why I am passionate about piquing girls' interest in science and engineering as a career path is the money. Even in this recession, starting salaries for computer-related and engineering careers are on the rise. They are also usually higher than any other field. This can be quite a carrot for sticking out a second semester of Calculus or even organic chemistry.

But I also tell my students that there is a wage gap for scientists and engineers. Back in 1999, the National Science Foundation found that the wage gap for engineers was only 13 cents. Not bad. Overall for science, engineering and math, it looks like the wage gap in 2001 for starting salaries was 24 cents.

Some have theorized that the difference in the wage gap between science and engineering can be attributed to the market. Since there are less women in engineering, they can usually negotiate a better salary since they are more in demand. Some have also theorized that the biological sciences are facing dropping salaries since more women are entering...This is yet to be proven...salary wise anyway.

Bottom-line is that the wage gap impacts all women. Even in uber-women dominated careers like nursing, men out earn women.

And of course the gap widens for women of color as seen in these lovely graphics that the Feminist Looking Glass posted from NPR. Although considering the serious lack of people of color in science and engineering, I'd love to look at that wage gap.

Other Equal Pay Day links of note:

• On Equal Pay Day, Reform Movement Calls for Wage Equity
• National Women's Law Center Action
• Sen. Dodd's statement and NWLC's blog

Women's History Month: That stripper pole is someone's office!

Today's Women's History Tidbit:
1900: Effa Manley is born in Philadelphia. From 1935 to 1948 she will run the Newark Eagles, a Negro Leagues baseball team, which she co-owns with her husband.* She is the first woman to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.**

This was originally posted on the AWEARNESS blog. 

At least that's what Quansa Thompson is trying to claim. She's a smart cookie exotic dancer from Washington, DC who is suing her former "employer" for not paying her and her fellow dancers a wage. I put employer in quotes in this context because the owner of the club claims that "he treats dancers as if they were patrons, charging them $20 admission, then letting them keep whatever they earn without any additional fees."

No matter what your stance is on strippers or exotic dancers, I hope that you agree that they are working. They are providing entertainment that draws people in to pay real money to enter an establishment and buy food and drinks. Sure they get paid a lot (at least the ones in the WaPo article do) to entertain, but that doesn't mean that employers should get off the hook. Thompson says that she might start a magazine; I think she should enroll in law school. There are a lot of other women out there who need a gutsy woman like her, who is willing to speak out for her rights as an employee, to stand by them!

And thanks WaPo for an educational and entertaining article. I can't figure out if my favorite line was about Warren Buffet or the safety net.

* Source: 2010 Women Who Dare Engagement Calendar from the Library of Congress 
** Source:  ESPN

It's been a busy month for science grrls!

Originally posted at Girl w/Pen

It seems like every other story in the past month had a science grrl at its core. Some were good, some not so much. I honestly couldn’t make up my mind on which story to write about, so I’ll write a little about all of them:

• Elinor Ostrom is the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics. The best part of her story? That her high school advisor told her that she couldn’t take trigonometry because she was a girl. It’s been quite some time, but if that advisor is still alive, I hope they give her a call to apologize. Otherwise, girls take note. My high school advisor was horrible my freshman year, so I switched. If you don’t feel supported, find someone else to talk to!
• Ostrom topped off what has been a banner year of women winning the Nobel. We had the first time two women won a Nobel together (in medicine). The advisor-former graduate student pairing makes my heart a flutter. Now that’s Sisterhood NOT Interrupted! In addition, Ada Yonath won in Chemistry.
• The motive for the murder of Annie Le is still to be revealed, but for me it doesn’t take much to see this crime as a possible crime against women in science. While I was still pondering the role that gender in the lab played in the crime, another woman was attacked in a lab. Sadly women in science history holds one huge dark chapter: In 1989 a man massacred 14 women as he “fought feminism” in Canada.
• In animation land, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is telling young girls to not dumb themselves down and embrace their geekdom. My husband took our six-year-old daughter to see this movie while I was out of town over the weekend. She’s certainly not dumbing herself down…yet…but my money is on the fact that she’ll remember that the main character’s dad dies rather than she should be herself.
• Considering the high participation of women in environmental science and public health, we could see more women winning Nobels if some new awards are added in the future.
• And while she does fall under science FICTION, I think that Octavia Butler deserves to close out this post. Her novels paint a bleak picture for our future, but the way to avoid most of it are also laid out in her novels. She uses science to craft her stories, even in her last unfinished story arc on vampires science is a huge character. And now the Huntington Library is where her papers will be stored (PDF link). I eagerly await a biography on this genius who was taken from us way too soon.

Women Tweeting Women

Women Employed, a fab Chicago organization,  is doing a 24 hour Twitter campaign called “Women Tweeting Women” on Wednesday, October 7, 2009.

The idea is to post information about inspiring women throughout the day. On Twitter please use the hashtag #wtw09 when tweeting about the inspiring women in your life.

This should be a lot of fun!!

Even thou I don't quite have a "I'm a feminist ask me how" button on, other women just seem to know and I get asked questions about career development. One nifty aspect of Women Employed is their Career Coach. Now I love my job, but I know I need to up my ante soon. For me that means finally getting my butt in gear to start a PhD program. But a few years ago I had no idea where I was headed. Luckily I have a great mentor in my boss, so she was a world of help. But I also know that many of us have dreams and aspirations that isn't the same as our day jobs. So why not try Career Coach to get started on your plans? I don't think electronic tools like this will give anyone the answer, but it can be a good first step and sometimes, that's what we all really need help with.

Working as a Professional Feminist

This post is for the Fem2.0 "What is work?" blog carnival.

I've never stopped to think of what work means to me. It's just one of those words that you take for granted. But as I stop to ponder my relationship with the word, it's amazing.

As a Latina of Mexican heritage, work is not a four-letter word. Lazy is. Despite the stereotype of Mexicans & our siestas, we work hard. In fact I didn't know what a siesta really meant until I got to Spanish class in 7th grade. A siesta in my household meant taking five minutes for some iced tea. I haven't studied our relationship with work to know if Latin@s are taught to work hard to fight against the stereotype or we just work hard naturally. Pollo - huevo. Either way, it was drilled in me early on that we work hard for what we have. And that continues to this day.

I know that I am privileged in a way that sometimes overshadows my very humble lower income background. I have a bachelors and a masters degree. I am married to a man who is also a college-educated Latino. We met before either of us had our degrees. Considering that only 12% of Latinos have college degrees (pdf!) I would say that's quite a privilege in this economy.

I am mostly privileged in that I call myself a professional feminist because I have a job that allows me, wants me to do feminist work every day and I love it. Yes, it's work in that there are days where the clock just creeps by. It's work that I have to raise money so that I can do work. My salary might be paid by the state, but the programs I plan are paid by funds I raise. It's also very hard work getting students to come out for a program that they request, but somehow life gets in the way of them attending. I like to describe my job as being a grassroots organizer for women majoring in science & engineering. I have to herd them and sometimes bribe them with pizza. It's hard work.

I also have to break their hearts and that's really the hardest part. When a students asks me why we don't have infant care. When a student asks me why a general science course is so "hard" and doesn't understand why a 50% is passing in college. The cold truths of academia breaks some of them and my job is to tell it like it is, but also instill some hope that if we all work together, maybe, just maybe things will change.

And that's why I call myself a professional feminist. I'm not professional in that I'm churning out book after book. I'm not professional because I get paid thousands of dollars to speak (althou if you want, just ask!). I'm professional in that I get paid to work for educational and economic equity by supporting young women who want to be scientists and engineers. Some days that menas helping them network. Some days that means seeing yet another student tell me how her professor let the men in the class "be boys" during lecture.

I'm a campus feminist, but I'm sending my students out into the world and arming them with feminist tools.

Now as a new freelance writer/pro-blogger, work is different. That work looks frivolous to many. Images of sitting in a wifi'd cafe come to mind and honestly, that is where some of my best work is born. But some days it is harder than herding undergraduates. It's almost like always being in graduate school. Research, citations, editing and then waiting for validation in comments or emails from readers. Or the rejection email. It's still work, but it's invisible to most.

Yet the most invisible of all my work is mothering.

Oddly it is the work that I think moms get the most recognition from.

People may ask how I do so much or give me kudos for doing so much, but rarely do people want to hear the gory & hilarious details of mothering. Currently I've discovered that if I fall bask to sleep after I wake up my daughter, she wants to surprise me by getting dressed & washed up. This allows her to come, wake ME up and then I say, "Oh! You're dressed!" This does nothing to speed things up in the morning, but it does bring the "Come on!" and screaming down to almost nothing. And honestly, that's worth the extra 5 minutes we're always running late by.

Mothering is a lot of work and the emotional toll is the hardest part.

Do I think we should get paid for mothering? No. Do I think we should have paid leave, paid sick days and affordable child care? Yes. There's a world of difference between being paid to have children and having a society that values all children.

So what is work?

Work is the stuff we do each day for our loved ones, to pay the rent and in order to take a vacation once every few years. Work is work. You know what it is because it makes you sweat.

Women's Bureau of the US Dept of Labor

In 2001 the Bush Administration attempted to kill the Department of Labor's Women's Bureau. This underappreciated arm of the government mission is "To improve the status of wage-earning women, improve their working conditions, increase their efficiency, and advance their opportunities for profitable employment."

While I have to fully admit that the Women's Bureau, even under a very tight budget, has been pretty good to my place of employment during the past administration*, I have been awaiting a change in the White House with the hope that the WB would be allowed to fully do what they are meant to do. I've received word from friends that current NOW President Kim Gandy's is being thrown about for Director of the Women's Bureau!

If I'm correct, this position can't be filled until we get Hilda Solis confirmed.

After Kim's term is over at NOW (sometime in August, I believe) she would be a wonderful person to lead the WB. I've worked with Kim over the past 5 1/2 years on various NOW issues. While we haven't always agreed on methodology & implementation, we do agree on the centrality of economic justice to women's rights.

Kim understands that choice cannot mean anything without women having access to education & training and to fair & equal pay. She understands that the fight for marriage equality is not just about marriage, but economic security. Kim gets it people.

There is also "an anonymous" email going around smearing Kim based on the fact that NOW endorsed Obama & Biden. Oddly I didn't see a similar smear campaign against Hillary Rodham Clinton, patron feminist saint, for taking the Secretary of State job with the Obama administration. Apparently Clinton supporters who followed Clinton's call for unity are traitors, but not Clinton herself. OK, I get that. Not.

Yes, there are other feminists who would do an awesome job at WB. But there is nothing I have seen, heard, or experienced that would convince me that Kim Gandy would not rock the WB.

We need someone with the passion that Kim has in the WB to not just make sure that it sticks to its mission, but also that women's working issues are not sweep under the rug with stories about men losing their job faster than women. The economic status of women is not just about how many of us are working -- With the wage gap, us women need to work more than men to earn enough as men -- It is nuanced with discrimination, child care issues and elder care issues. It is about women working multiple past-time jobs when their husband's get laid off. It is not as simple as counting jobs, but the quality of those jobs.

I would be proud to continue working with Kim Gandy if she is indeed appointed as Director of the Women's Bureau. The women of this country would be well represented.


* One of my office's projects is listed on the left sidebar. Hint, it's in purple.

Michelle Obama: Mother or Career Woman?

From the new First Lady's webpage:

When people ask Michelle Obama to describe herself, she doesn't hesitate. First and foremost, she is Malia and Sasha's mom.

But before she was a mother — or a wife, lawyer, or public servant — she was Fraser and Marian Robinson's daughter.

This introduction for the First Lady's biography has continued the discussion on whether or not Michelle Obama downplays her achievements as a working woman. She is quite accomplished on her own as witnessed by a press release by Leadership Greater Chicago and Crane's Chicago:

He was known as “Michelle’s husband — that guy who’s a state senator,” recalled Mr. Goolsbee, the only one of the three to make it to Monday’s event.

I know pointing that line out and me adding that my husband knows people who knew Michelle when she was THE OBAMA in town, will just add fuel to the "she's downplaying her role" fire.

But is she really downplaying her role?

No, she's not.

Michelle is a mother and the mother of two young girls who are now in the center of international attention. As a mom, we can easily quit our office jobs, even if we love them, but we can't quit our kids. Now you're asking yourself, isn't Barack quitting his kids? If his letter to the girls is true, no. I believe that he believes this path is HIS best way to be a father to the girls.

Is it gendered? Hell yes.

But that's the way they played their cards.

Would I play my cards that way? I can't say for certain. My husband & I try to take turns on who is out front. And honestly one never knows when one of us will "shoot way in front." From what I've read of Michelle & Barack, he has had his eyes set on running for political office for years. She preferred to leave her mark in other ways, in the way that most of us actually walk. Did she make that choice knowing that public life makes it harder to be a mom? I don't know.

What I do know is that Michelle oozes strong woman vibe. Whether she is touting her degrees and lengthy resume, dancing elegantly with her husband or mothering her daughters, she is a strong woman. As my husband said when I asked him what he thought, "She's a strong woman who balances it all in her own way."

Do we need a new definition of motherhood or fatherhood in this situation? Perhaps. Remember that grandma moved into the White House for a reason. My bet is that Michelle will log just as many frequent flyer miles as Barack - And we will be a better country for it.

Malia & Sasha - Thanks for lending us your parents for the next 4-8 years. We owe ya.

Larry Summers Is Not the Change I Was Expecting

Here's my first commentary published on the Women's Media Center's website:

As President-elect Obama moves quickly to assemble his team, women leaders monitoring his choices have put up a red alert about a reported short-list choice as secretary of the Treasury. Veronica Arreola, an educator and advocate for women in the sciences, explains why.
Click here to read the full article:


WMC Reprint & Credit Requirements: The Women's Media Center grants permission to reprint free-of-charge with the understanding that media outlets credit the author of the piece and the Women's Media Center, as in: "by [author's name] for The Women's Media Center (www.womensmediacenter.com)." If the format allows it, please note at the end: "The WMC is a non-profit organization founded by Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem, and Robin Morgan, dedicated to making women visible and powerful in the media."

It's a science nerd's heaven

This September Chicago will launch Science Chicago. A whole year's worth of sciencey goodness around the city. Check out the website, sign up for updates, and keep an eye out here when I'll promote events I'll be at! Hey, this science nrrd isn't missing this!

Work it, Mom! Monday ode to Marth Burk

This week's Work it, Mom! post is about the Phoenix Country Club highlighted in the NYTimes over the weekend and Martha Burk's work at Augusta.

In 2002 a woman named Martha Burk burst into our living rooms and challenged everyone to decide if private country/golf clubs that exclude women were discriminatory. Many responded with a quick no. They are private! was the largest chorus in the responses. Of course, our 15-second media didn’t allow for much discussion of why Burk thought that these clubs were discriminatory. For her stance, Burk was harassed and threatened - The FBI were called out to ensure her safety when she protested outside the Augusta National Golf Club for not allowing women to be members during the 2003 Masters. Her suggestion that Tiger Woods should be taking a stand upset a lot of golf fans on top of criticizing one of golf’s most revered tournaments. I fielded a press call as a board member of a local NOW chapter with this quote:

Read the rest at Work it, Mom!

Technorati tags: Martha Burk, golf, Phoenix Golf Club

How I get thru my days & still tick off my husband

Yesterday my husband was reading the paper and saw a snippet about how for the women of Darfur (and around the world) rape is weapon of war, an every day event and that for many of them "trading" sex for food is a survival tactic, to say the very least. He was shocked and started to rant to me about how horrible this was and that why don't we do something, etc.

I looked up from my laptop and said, "Yup."

I want to say that my nonchalant response was more of "Yeah, nothing new," rather than a hardening of my heart. Because honestly rape is rape and it is a disgusting and makes my stomach turn. I've heard social workers say that after some time, you just shut down. It's not that they don't care anymore, it's that they CAN'T care anymore. It's like they have used up their lifetime supply of empathy & tears.

Kate blogged today about the emotional wear that goes along with working in a feminist organization:

the dogged societal persistence of inequality for nearly half the world's population will have that effect. but the reality of that negativity - as much as it sometimes makes me want to curl up in the fetal position and stay that way - ultimately fuels me, motivates me to take some action.

Thankfully my feminist work isn't as emotionally draining as it could be. Yes, it's hard to deal with sexual harassment of a student, to deal with unplanned pregnancies that sideline brilliant students for a semester, and the insanity that is infant care in the entire Chicago region. But I don't have to raise money (at work) so women can eat, I want my students to earn six figures. I don't have to find them emergency shelter with their toddler and beloved cat, I want my students to come to dinner once a month to meet a new role model.

On the other hand, it's hard working in a feminist career where most of the people I work for (not my bosses, the recipients of my work) don't identify as feminist or see their issues as feminism. I find solace in remembering that the students I work with didn't grow up with even the thin gender barriers I had in the 1980s. That they were children of this century or at the latest, the 1990s. And then I get depressed that they were raised to think that they will conquer the world only to slam head first into a glass ceiling or wall. That's when I sometimes come in...whether thru a personal visit or a memory.

My husband thinks I talk too much about the woes of this world at times. But considering that he just learned about rape as a strategy of war, I'd say that I don't talk about it enough.

*************************
NCLM Comments:
1. Barbara Kellerman on why Pelosi AND Hillary are not role models for women seeking political office. I commented on just the Pelosi piece, but you must read both.
2. Girl with Pen will soon be Girl with wedding bouquet.
3. Susan of Feminist Economics is in Turino at a feminist economics conference and wants questions!
4. Feminist Underground on a possible change in how the international PTB view rape.
5. Baggage is a home owner! I've been reading her forever and I'm so proud of how she has lived her life, taken in so many kids, and honestly has so much gawd damn love to share with this world. Not to mention she loves the Cubs too.

Comment back:
Uncensored Feminista muses about the pregnancy pact girls.

Technorati tags: feminism

Happy Birthday, Equal Pay Act!

You're 45, but don't look a day over 5.

Why? Because Fair Pay is still an issue, so it's hard to believe that you are 45. That for 45 years we have had fair pay "the law of the land" yet we still wonder if the man down the hall is getting paid more than we.

You are the law that made it illegal for employers to pay unequal wages to men and women who perform equal work — which was signed by President Kennedy back in 1963. Since women still only earn 77 cents to the dollar, you are in desperate need of some back-up. But even though several bills have been introduced repeatedly — including the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Fair Pay Act — Congress still hasn’t stepped up to the plate. Plus, of course, the Senate still hasn’t passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would have a major impact on the lives of women who’ve been subject to pay discrimination.

Of course, we wouldn't know if we were being discriminated against because some people don't have the legal right to know what everyone else is being paid.

So, on your birthday, I thank you for at least being on the books so we have something to point to when we know we're being screwed. The only present I can give you is some company and perhaps wishing you a new Supreme Court who will recognize your strength and allow you to do your work. Maybe I'll send my Senators (one of which is a Presidential candidate) a card reminding them that it's your birthday! Now they can really get you something.

Technorati tags: Fair Pay, Equal Pay, NWLC

There is too much, let me sum up

Because I have a presentation on gender equity on Thursday, found out about another extension on a chapter I was writing & gave up on, AND the hubby is out of town meaning I have less time for me this weekend, I present you with a bullet point blog post. Enjoy!

• Help some awesome Radical WOC get to the Allied Media Conference. I swear, I'd be there myself to represent the not-so-radical WOC contingent, but I have to attend another conference that weekend. Oh...and if you've ever wondered where the super kewl WOC bloggers are, start with this list!
  
• kameelah writes * little black book * RGV goes to the AMC * cripchick * Writeous Sister Speaks * Mamita Mala * Tigera Consciente * A Womyn’s Ecdysis * Having Read the Fine Print.
• Peggy Simpson from the Women's Media Center sums up the fallout from the NARAL Pro-Choice endorsement. As does Scott at RH Reality Check is also following the fallout. (Is it me, or does he look like Bobcat Goldwaith? But of course, far less scary!)
• My reaction? Award for the worst timing EVER! While I did give NARAL kudos earlier this month, I gotta say that I was shocked at such poor timing. I know that Kate Michaelman is an Obama woman, but come on...it's not like you were trying to submarine Lieberman! *sigh* I'm on a listserv with a lot of second wavers & 99% of them are working their tails off for Hillary. The heartbreak is unbearable.
  
• The NY Times has a great piece on women in science and the hurdles they have to jump through AND why sometimes they just pack up their microscope and go home. KUDOS! But...there's always a but, eh? The article is in the fashion/style section. I mentioned it on another listserv I'm on and someone pointed out that perhaps instead of being in a more "serious" section, it's getting more attention. Thoughts?
• Noemi reports, "In at least one case, a guard reportedly got a female detainee pregnant. It’s all happening at the South Texas Detention Complex in Pearsall. News 4 Trouble Shooter Brian Collister brings you the fall out from his investigation." Read more.
  
• Want to evacuate from a hurricane? Better have your papers ready!
  
• The Ask a Working Woman Survey 2008 is out! "The survey is an opportunity for working women in America to tell decision-makers what it's like to be a working woman in America in election years. Opinions will be collected through June 20, 2008. The findings will be announced to decision makers and released in nationwide media in order to highlight and help improve the status of the working mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, and nieces in all of our American families." Go take it!
• Chicago Public Schools are tauting an increase in the number of graduates attending college. Parents United for Responsible Education isn't so sure we should be celebrating.
• June 2nd is the 3rd Annual Blogging for LGBT Family Day!
  
• Ward Connerly's Super Tuesday is losing steam. Maybe he can rename it Good Tuesday?
• An interview with Amy Richards (not to be confused with one of my BFFs) at RH Reality Check is a must read.
  
• Today Google had another special holiday logo, this time about the invention of the laser. So it got me thinking...have they tipped their hat to a woman? Answer, outside of recognizing International Women's Day in 2005, nope.
• Here's a few lists of holidays to mark, Google. Get cracking.
  

Work it, Mom! Monday!

This week's post deals with just two ways to get ready to reenter the work force.

The basis for tome’s like Linda Hirshman‘s Get To Work and Lisa Bennett’s Feminine Mistake may appear to be nothing more than telling women what to do but if you can ignore the horrible presentation, the real issue is that Hirshman, Bennett and others are seriously tired of seeing women make up the majority of those living in poverty. Not just making up a large percentage, but that women end up there because we take time out of work to care for our family members.

* Women comprise 56% of Americans over 18 who live in poverty. [cite]
* In 2004, 28.4 percent of households headed by single women were poor. [cite]
* Nearly two-thirds of white women who are poor in old age have not been poor in the earlier years. This demonstrates an increased risk or a newly emerging risk of poverty for many white women. [cite]
* Old age poverty for African-American women reflects economic disadvantages in their earlier years compared with white women. [cite]
* In the United States, the share of elderly women living in poverty is highest among divorced or separated women (37 percent), followed by widowed women (28 percent), never-married women (22 percent), and married women (10 percent). [cite]

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007 - Roll Call

First of all -

• Clinton AND Obama made the vote.
• Reid voted no in order to bring the vote back up later this session
• McCain MISSED the vote
• All Dems voted yes (outside Reid) including all independents. Yes, Lieberman voted yes.
  

Now for the roll call:

Alphabetical by Senator Name

Akaka (D-HI), Yea Alexander (R-TN), Nay Allard (R-CO), Nay Barrasso (R-WY), Nay Baucus (D-MT), Yea Bayh (D-IN), Yea Bennett (R-UT), Nay Biden (D-DE), Yea Bingaman (D-NM), Yea Bond (R-MO), Nay Boxer (D-CA), Yea Brown (D-OH), Yea Brownback (R-KS), Nay Bunning (R-KY), Nay Burr (R-NC), Nay Byrd (D-WV), Yea Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Cardin (D-MD), Yea Carper (D-DE), Yea Casey (D-PA), Yea Chambliss (R-GA), Nay Clinton (D-NY), Yea Coburn (R-OK), Nay Cochran (R-MS), Nay Coleman (R-MN), Yea Collins (R-ME), Yea Conrad (D-ND), Yea Corker (R-TN), Nay Cornyn (R-TX), Nay Craig (R-ID), Nay Crapo (R-ID), Nay DeMint (R-SC), Nay Dodd (D-CT), Yea Dole (R-NC), Nay

Domenici (R-NM), Nay Dorgan (D-ND), Yea Durbin (D-IL), Yea Ensign (R-NV), Nay Enzi (R-WY), Nay Feingold (D-WI), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Yea Graham (R-SC), Nay Grassley (R-IA), Nay Gregg (R-NH), Nay Hagel (R-NE), Not Voting Harkin (D-IA), Yea Hatch (R-UT), Nay Hutchison (R-TX), Nay Inhofe (R-OK), Nay Inouye (D-HI), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Nay Johnson (D-SD), Yea Kennedy (D-MA), Yea Kerry (D-MA), Yea Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea Kohl (D-WI), Yea Kyl (R-AZ), Nay Landrieu (D-LA), Yea Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Yea Levin (D-MI), Yea Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea Lincoln (D-AR), Yea Lugar (R-IN), Nay Martinez (R-FL), Nay McCain (R-AZ), Not Voting McCaskill (D-MO), Yea McConnell (R-KY), Nay

Menendez (D-NJ), Yea Mikulski (D-MD), Yea Murkowski (R-AK), Nay Murray (D-WA), Yea Nelson (D-FL), Yea Nelson (D-NE), Yea Obama (D-IL), Yea Pryor (D-AR), Yea Reed (D-RI), Yea Reid (D-NV), Nay Roberts (R-KS), Nay Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea Salazar (D-CO), Yea Sanders (I-VT), Yea Schumer (D-NY), Yea Sessions (R-AL), Nay Shelby (R-AL), Nay Smith (R-OR), Yea Snowe (R-ME), Yea Specter (R-PA), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Yea Stevens (R-AK), Nay Sununu (R-NH), Yea Tester (D-MT), Yea Thune (R-SD), Nay Vitter (R-LA), Nay Voinovich (R-OH), Nay Warner (R-VA), Nay Webb (D-VA), Yea Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea Wicker (R-MS), Nay Wyden (D-OR), Yea

Technorati tags: fair pay act, Lily Ledbetter, roll call

Work it, Mom! Monday!

This week I ask us to ponder not just our own paychecks, but the paychecks of those hard working women who care for our children during the day.


From NWLC:

In 2006, child care workers earned an average of just $9.05 an hour, or $18,820 annually. In comparison, baggage porters earned an average of $21,580 annually and pet sitters earned an average of $20,230 annually. Child care workers are also often denied other important and necessary benefits, such as health care and sick leave. Because of the low wages and limited benefits associated with child care work, many women in the industry are forced to take on second jobs.

Come on and join the conversation!

Technorati tags: motherhood, feminism, caregiving, child care, wage

Happy Fair Pay Day!

Today is Friday, April 18th...the 109th day of the year. Why does that matter? Because Equal Pay or Fair Pay day marks the day when women have finally earned enough money to equal what a man made in the previous year.

In other words, if the dude in the cubicle next to you made $50,000 last year and on average you made $38,5000. That is 77 cents on the man's dollar....it would take you until today to equal his $50,000. Of course, he's still earning, so you're super behind for this year.

Of course my example is compared to a white man's dollar and that woman earning 77 cents on the dollar are white women. What about us Latinas?

Minority women fare significantly worse. In 2006, the median earnings of African American women working full-time, year-round were $30,3525 compared to $48,4206 for white, non-Hispanic men; the median for Hispanic women was only $25,198.7 This means that an African American woman earned just 63 cents for every dollar earned by a white, non-Hispanic man, while a Hispanic woman earned only 52 cents on the dollar compared to her white, non-Hispanic male counterpart.8 In both cases, this pay gap for women of color was only marginally smaller than it was in 2004. [link]

52 cents? Pinche 52 cents?

Instead of just getting all pissy about us getting the shaft there is something to be done! The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act will be voted on at any moment. Contact your Senators!! Of course you known one of mine and he better get his hopeful ass off the campaign trail to make that vote, close or not. NOW describes the bill and why we need it passed:

The Ledbetter Act was drafted to overturn the Supreme Court's May decision in the case of Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., which dealt a near-fatal blow to underpaid workers' ability to use the protections of civil rights laws to remedy pay discrimination.

Lilly Ledbetter had worked at Goodyear for 19 years when she discovered she was being paid significantly less than every single one of her male counterparts. A jury agreed that she had been paid unfairly, and awarded her $223,776 in back pay, and over $3 million in punitive damages, but a judge cut that to only $300,000 because of a 1991 law that limited a company's liability for damages — even when found guilty of willful wage discrimination.

In an "off with her head" moment, the U.S. Supreme Court took away every penny of the back pay and damages awarded to Lilly Ledbetter, saying incredibly that the 180 day filing limit had begun way back when the very first paycheck showed lesser pay. Eighteen years of continuing wage discrimination against Ledbetter by Goodyear held no sway with the Roberts court.

Fair pay is one reason why I push young women and girls into science & engineering. Women in some of these fields are earning a fair pay, for the most part, and sometimes are in such demand that they earn MORE than the white dude next to them. Go ahead and use that the next time your daughter tries to talk you into blowing off her math homework.

Women in the construction industry, for example, earned median weekly wages that were only 86% of what their male counterparts earned. And women in computer and mathematical occupations had weekly earnings that were 85% of the wages paid their male counterparts. [link]

Technorati tags: fair pay, equal pay, feminism, work, latina, National Women's Law Center

More thoughts on Ferraro

My March article at Work it, Mom! is up and it is about Geraldine Ferraro. Please jump over, read, and of course comment.

There is a harsh reality to affirmative action and diversity initiatives: They sometimes make people of color and women uncomfortable. While many of us support affirmative action, it really is a double-edged sword.

This sword was in full view in the recent comments of Geraldine Ferraro. Well known as the first woman to run on a major party's Presidential ticket, she has also frequently and honestly said that she knows she was picked for the vice-president spot mostly because she is a woman. That doesn't mean that she wasn't qualified to be VP, but the Democratic party and Walter Mondale looked around and decided (most likely due to a poll) that they needed a woman for the ticket.

The backlash against affirmative action is such that knowing you are chosen "just because" you are a woman or a person of color can be debilitating. You start to think others "know" why you got the job. You fail to remember your long list of qualifications and focus on your plumbing or your ethnicity. This is what anti-affirmative action forces want. This distracts you from noticing that someone's frat brother was hired or that, despite other worthy candidates, a Texan is chosen to balance a Presidential ticket. Sure he's qualified, but he will also deliver a wad of electoral votes.

Read the rest at Work it, Mom!

Technorati tags: Barack Obama, Geraldine Ferraro, racism, affirmative action