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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Working From Home With Small Kids

Posted by Lizzie in work from home

I’ve written before about managing time while working from home when you have young children. It’s important to find the time to do the work as well as managing to spend quality time with your children. It’s also important to have a comfortable place from where to do that work.

The Office

For many work-from-home parents, the majority of their work time is spent online. They’re either networking or doing their assigned tasks or whatever. So it’s important to have some kind of home office from where to work. For parents of small children, like me, this can be in the middle of the room, or if you’re children are older, a small room where noise and distractions are minimal.

You can have contemporary office furniture or older, used furniture, but either way it should be functional and comfortable. If you’re working in the middle of the family room (like me) make sure that it’s a little out of the way, and yet placed in a way that you can keep an eye on things. Keep your computer turned on so when you step away from it you don’t lose any work. Don’t forget a small filing system of some sort. I have a plastic, white container on my desk that holds disks, pens, paper and whatever else I think I might need for a job. It saves me time and aggravation to have everything right there when I’m working.

For parents who are chronically ill, comfort is also important. I have a nice chair and a foot massager. The chair keeps back pain to a minimum and the massager keeps my feet from swelling too much. I also have a wireless keyboard. I can lean back in my chair to get more comfortable and with the help of a food tray bring my mouse and key board with me. Everything I need for a day at the “office” is right at arm’s length so that my time can be productive. I never know when the little one is going to come calling.

The Time

Staying at home with small children requires some time management skills, no doubt. But for parents with chronic illness it’s even more challenging. We can’t do what my first article suggested. Trust me. I’ve tried waking up before the child and staying up later. It wears me down and makes me miss work. That’s no good. My solution is to do as much as I can in the morning and take mini-breaks throughout the day to spend time with Mags.

As I said above, my office is in the “family” room. This is where Mags spends the majority of her time. I have a small t.v. set up on a table behind me and some videos from which she can choose. I also have a special chair and pretend keyboard for her to use when she wants to help me work. It’s really cute to see her tap,tap,tap and think she’s bringing home some bacon. These two things help me utilize my time better (sometimes it gives me more time too goof off) as well as spend time with her. I don’t have to stop so much now that I’ve set things up this way and she’s a lot more happy.

Of course, if you’re financially able, you can hire in-home help. This could be a teenager in the evenings who will entertain your kids while you get some work done or someone who will help with the laundry and cooking while you work. I haven’t actually tried this (though I have tried to get my own teenager to help more), but if you can afford it go for it. You’re still available and the children are still getting attention.

Ending Your Day

Sometimes when you’ve found the perfect solution you find yourself getting back online every chance you get. There has to be time to end your day and step away from the computer. This is important for your family as well as yourself. It’s addicting networking, making the money, writing, reading the news, etc, but your family and your mind need you to step away from the Internet.

Pick a specific time each day where you won’t be online. Shut the computer off, or schedule it for maintenance. Whatever you do, don’t allow yourself to get back on that thing once your work day is done. If your day revolves around naptimes, then make sure you don’t even check your computer while you’re spending time with your kids. You have to give yourself a break.

Also, pick a day (whatever day) to not work at all. If you need to be online, do something fun and entertaining, but don’t allow your time to be spent working. Mini-vacations are refreshing and just as important as spending time offline during the day. Don’t let yourself become a slave to your computer. And if you have, try to break the habit. It’s important to take breathers and to spend a whole day in the “real” world interacting with “real” people, breathing “real” air, and getting “real” sunshine. Pick a schedule and try to stick to it.

Working from home seems the easy solution to most people (especially those who don’t do it), but it can become as bad as working in an office if you don’t have a comfortable place to work and you spend too much time doing it. It’s easy to get caught up in the work especially if it’s always close at hand. Your body and your mind need for you to be comfortable so take some time to make sure you are.

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