A Dilemma We Shouldn’t Be Facing In 2014
By Victoria Turecamo
Earlier this month the Paycheck Fairness Act failed to acquire the necessary votes to pass through the U.S. Senate. Supporters emphasized this act was just one more step towards giving women the tools they need to ensure they are being fairly compensated for their work, while opponents attacked the act in every way possible.
The Paycheck Fairness Act is intended to give employees the ability to inquire about the salaries of other employees without fear of retaliation by their employer. The act also gives employees the opportunity to sue for lost wages due to discrimination. This would finally give women the transparency they need to stand up for their right for equal pay.
One would think that in the year 2014 we as a culture have progressed enough to believe women deserve the right to equal pay and that giving them the support necessary ensure this right is a no brainer. However, surprising as it may be, the opposition has not only focused on the logistics of the bill, but have also questioned whether the act is the right thing for women.
I agree legislation is not enough to help women assert their right to equal pay; educating women about their rights and how to better negotiate their salaries upon job offer is also necessary. However, I do not agree that the current legislation on the table is an insult to women’s intelligence like Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R- Kans.) stated when discussing the act.
Jenkins claimed the bill implied that women are not smart enough to stand up for their own rights and is being used as a political ploy to rally support in the next election cycle. No one is claiming women are not capable of standing up for themselves. What the legislation is intended to do is to give women the ability to do so without fear of their employer’s retaliation. As for the act being a political ploy, does that really matter? Regardless of whether democrats waited for the most opportune moment to introduce the bill or not, the point is that the issue is being addressed.
While Jenkins opposes the bill she does support equal pay. There are other members of the oppsition, however, that are still stuck in the 1950’s and do not believe that women are entitled to equal pay. Phyllis Schlafly wrote an article for The Christian Post claiming women do not deserve equal pay because they do not work as hard or as long as men. But what about the women that work in the same position as men, have all the same criterion (experience, education, training, etc.) as their male counterparts, do the same amount of work, and work the same hours? Don’t these women deserve to be paid the same as their coworkers? Schlafly claims the answer is no. She insist women are not entitled to equal pay because women expect better working conditions, such as, a clean and comfortable work environment and friendly coworkers. I suppose Schlafly believes these work environment standards should come out of women’s pay. I would argue that in a developed country such as ours, these are standards everyone should enjoy.
The most archaic aspect of Schlafly’s article was her view on what equal pay would do to marriage norms. According to Schlafly, if women make the same amount of money as men they will have difficulty finding husbands. Supposedly men in the 21st century cannot handle a potential spouse making the same or more money as them. This sort of “men bring home the bacon and their wives have to cook it” mentality, is virtually obsolete. This is not an episode of Mad Men. We no longer live in a society that believes women must stay home to cook, clean, and care for the children.
Even if this sort of thinking was still a reality, it is not the government’s job to ensure women can find husbands. It is the government’s responsibility to protect our rights. One of those rights, which was established in 1963, is a women’s right to equal pay. Because this right has not been adequately enforced, it is now the government’s job to introduce legislation that makes equal pay a reality. The Paycheck Fairness Act was meant to do just that. Clearly having the right to equal pay is not enough by itself; it must also be enforced.
Victoria Turecamo is graduating this May from Long Island University with a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology with a minor in Political Science. She is a member of the University Honors Program, Alpha Chi National Honor Society and has been on the Dean’s List for five semesters. She was also a 2012-2013 Fellow for the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.
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