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Pay equality

Posted by Lizzie on Sep-5-2008

There’s a lot of talk about women’s issues this election cycle. Thanks to Hillary Clinton, and now Sarah Palin, we’re back in the spotlight. In that vein, Congress is pressing for a revote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which failed to pass previously. McCain has come out again it:

“I am all in favor of pay equity for women, but this kind of legislation, as is typical of what’s being proposed by my friends on the other side of the aisle, opens us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems,” the expected GOP presidential nominee told reporters. “This is government playing a much, much greater role in the business of a private enterprise system.”

I’ve recently engaged in a half-hearted IT job search - in anticipation of my eventual graduation from the Tech program. There seems to be a little available, but I’ve heard that women are not treated favorably in the IT industry. It would please me, and thousands of other women, tremendously if this actually became law. Would I know that my male counterparts were making more than me? Probably not. But this act would give me recourse should I find out about a pay discrepancy after the fact. As a woman hoping to work in a male-dominated field, I would feel just a little better knowing I had a safety net.

There was some talk that this law isn’t necessary. I beg to differ. I worked with a company (unrelated to the tech field) that cut me a mystery check. When I inquired to what the purpose of the check was, I was told that it was to make up for a pay difference between me and my male counterparts. I had no idea that the men were making that much more per hour than I was, but there was a lawsuit and the settlement agreement was that this company would pay the hourly difference to each female for whatever period of time they agreed to (I think it was 3 months, even though I’d been there for over a year at that point). I left that company not long afterward, but my eyes had been opened. The reasoning for the lower pay was that women are mothers and so are prone to miss work because of their sick children. Men, on the other hand, are more reliable and should be rewarded. Really?

At a time when a major political party has nominated a self-proclaimed “hockey mom” to be vice president, there should be no more “she should get less because she’s a mom”. This woman is seeking a job while parenting 5 children (and potentially helping parent a grandchild) so the reason listed above would apply to her and her pay should be cut significantly. Right? No. Wrong. Her husband will be able to tend to the children while she runs for office and he can tend to the children while she continues to govern Alaska (except that he’s got a full-time job plus an extra job on the side in the summer, but that’s not this issue). It’s only fair that the rest of American women enjoy the same equality in pay as the women who govern them.

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Posted in Featured, irritations

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Is America in a Privacy Crisis?

Posted by Lizzie in writing

Recently the 110th United States Congress changed the FISA law to benefit the government in their fight against terrorism. The Bush Administration has unprecedented amounts of permission to eavesdrop on U.S. citizens thanks to that law. Anyone can be considered a ‘terrorist’ and go under surveillance, especially if they communicate with anyone outside of the United States. Just by writing an email to someone in another country you can invite the government to intrude on your private communications. But this isn’t the only thing endangering privacy.

There are ever increasing amounts of video surveillance in public places. Most areas of the country have implemented traffic cameras to catch speeders- while also capturing innocent citizens enjoying what they think is a private moment in their car. Municipalities around the country put cameras in Public Square in an effort to combat street crime. Businesses are putting cameras inside and out in an effort to stop theft. Most people accept these measures as necessary. Of course, there are some ordinary Americans who see nothing wrong with invading another person’s privacy.

A young man with a cell phone camera can stealthily take pictures under young women’s skirts. A curious neighbor thinks nothing of video taping the inside of someone’s home. The boss at work hunts down employees who participate in online forums- on their own time. Many people have no qualms about posting someone else’s private information online- pictures, names, addresses, and even home phone numbers. Not even children are immune if someone thinks they can get a cheap laugh.

Americans’ fascination with all things celebrity has led to people doing “whatever it takes” to get that one picture worth millions of dollars. Anyone with any amount of celebrity risks their private moments being strewn across magazines and websites. They can’t enjoy a normal day in the park for fear of being accosted by someone with a camera. And the public feasts on this. Many people believe the private lives of celebrities are game because the celebrities “put themselves in the public eye”. Privacy of the individual and his family is unimportant. Increasingly average Americans are losing respect for any type of privacy- including their own.

With blogs and video sharing sites such as YouTube, many people are more than happy to open themselves up for public scrutiny. They tell all and let the world judge them. There is no desire or need for privacy among these people. They look at the cameras all around them and smile. They laugh at the idea that someone somewhere is reading their mail. Their neighbors don’t have to sneak to get a glimpse into their lives because they bare all. They are an every growing number of Americans and they see no privacy crisis.

Also published here and here.