Jenni's blog
Talkback feminism
I hope to prod, poke and probe current thinking about what it is like to be an Australian woman. I also believe that by sharing our experiences and our thoughts, we can enhance our lives as women, and empower each other.
Viewing entries tagged with 'pay equity'
So much to do, so little time!
It’s not often that I get upfront and personal in this blog, but lately I have been busier than a lizard being chased by a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, if you’ll pardon my addled adages!
It’s just that so much is happening, and it is all exciting. There’s the most recent 2020women survey, the women’s conference in Manila and the book of working mothers’ stories. They all require action of some sort. It is time to stop and set some priorities.
First, the survey: we received over 700 responses to our first survey on pay equity, and then another 90 or so women shared in more detail what they think about the problem. Amongst other things, they tell us that pay equity is still out of their reach, and they are losing out in pay negotiations. We just have to get this information incorporated into our submission to the EOWA review to make sure that the point is driven home.
Secondly, Manila: Asia Pacific Women’s Watch are conducting an NGO forum on Beijing+15, and in spite of the floods, I will be there.
Beijing+15 was an exciting time for women. It was the Fourth UN Conference for Women, held in 1995. At that Conference 12 areas of concern were identified: poverty, education and training, health, the economy, power and decision-making, human rights, armed conflict, institutional mechanisms, the environment, violence against women and the girl child.
Actions were to be taken in all these areas, and the conference in Manila is bringing women from the Asia Pacific region to discuss progress on these issues and to share stories about what is happening for women throughout the Region.
Lastly, there is the great book I was sent by an EMC, an international consulting and IT company. It tells the stories of the working mothers that they employ.
Just take a look at the following excerpt from the introduction, and you will see why it has inspired me:
If the professionals at EMC are star performers, the company’s working mothers are superstars who glide along the tightrope stretched between their work and family lives, deftly juggling responsibilities, demands, and interests. They’re the ones who make it look easy, consistently turning in top performances at work and home, doing it all with style, grace, and that ever-necessary safety net – humor. Sometimes a crowd of adoring fans cheers them on as they skillfully move across the high wire of their lives. But, all too often, they act in silence, their audiences unaware of the skill, strength, commitment, and perseverance it takes to move through their days with such agility.
You can see why we really need to get more stories from Australia’s working mothers, can’t you? And you can see why, on a scale from busy to out of control, currently I am at the too much to do and frustrated because I want to do it all now stage… aaaargh.
By the way, EMC have given me permission to share their stories with you.
You can download the book if you want to read the stories.
Plus 63: women work 63 days more than men just to keep up
On September 1, 2009 it will be Equal Pay Day again. The first Equal Pay Day was set by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) in 2008.
The way EOWA set it up, the date for Equal Pay Day changes each year as it is calculated by counting the extra days many women would have to work after the end of the financial year (30 June) in order to earn the same as men.
In 2008, Equal Pay Day fell on August 27. That was 58 days extra that EOWA estimated most women worked in 2008 to earn the same as most men.
In 2009 the gender pay gap increased to 17.2%, so five extra days will be added to the gap between the end of the 2009 financial year and Equal Pay Day.
Equal Pay Day 2009 will fall on 1st September: 63 days after 30 June. In 2009, women worked on average 63 days just to earn the same pay as men.
Not long to go till September 1 - and Australian women are counting the days. Is anyone else?
Women's pay regresses further under individual agreements
The slippery slope of women's pay has taken another turn for the worse. Not only do we earn less, but the way we are paid also determines how much less we will earn.
Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the gap between wages for men and women is significantly affected by the way their pay is set.
The difference is greatest for women whose pay is set by individual agreements: $425.60 difference in average weekly total cash earnings in August 2008. The difference for males and females on collective agreements was a bit better: $352.30. The narrowest margin was between males and females paid under awards: $90.10 difference.
If earning only $90 less than your male counterparts is a good news story, then this is good news for low paid women. Many of them are on collective agreements. The biggest differences exist in the areas where women are best paid, nearly all of these women are on individual agreements..
Just to make sure we all understand just how bad things are, the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workforce Agency has also just released a report showing that the "pay gap for women key management personnel is on average 28.3%, 11% higher than the national average gender pay gap in February."
Talk about backsliding.
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