Category: power
Study: Less than 1/3 of Top Jobs in UK Held by Women
BBC Reports that women make up less than a third of senior positions when considering 11 main sectors including politics, business and law.
“Men outnumber women by four to one in Parliament and only a third of local councillors are women,” the group’s Preethi Sundaram said.
“When we look at the top quarters of power in the political world there are only five women there out of 22… It’s quite an appalling fact really.”
Read more at BBC News.
Texas Refuses Govt Funding to Clinics Providing Abortion
Reuters just reported that the Obama Administration stated it would shut down a program that provided medical care services to over 100,000 low-income women in Texas, as the state refused funding for clinics that provide abortions. Why are we so set on increasing our population and burdening poor women who are already barely getting by – just because we are selfish and short-sighted!? We must stop this never-ending war on women.
Women Make Up 7.5% of ‘Fortune 500′ Top Earners
The Catalyst Census found that, in 2011, only a measly 7.5% of top earners at Fortune 500 companies were women. In addition, the study found that last year women held only 14.1% of Executive Officer positions at the nation’s top corporations, and 27.4% of Fortune 500 companies didn’t even bother hiring a woman for an executive officer.
These statistics are especially troubling when considering the recent rise of Occupy Patriarchy and their collection of complaints of gender inequality in the Occupy Movement. Women are reportedly being ostracized, and their issues and contributions minimized. Some women are even cut from the live streaming cameras.
As the 99% fights against the 1%, we must also fight against the gender inequality in corporate governance. We must fight against gender inequality in political governance, and we must make sure that the slogan of “99%” truly represents the ninety-nine percent!
When women are prevented from holding leadership positions, it effects issues like health care, equal pay, worker’s rights and poverty legislation, as women are most negatively affected in these areas. It is sad to hear that the disproportionate control over political power between men and women continues inside the Occupy movement. Even from a grassroots level, women are being removed from the public discussion!
Stain
We love the name of this piece created by Kyra Morris, and are touched by it. ”Stain” is painted with red acrylic on canvas, and brings about feelings of both happiness and suffering. There is something about the combination of colors, the woman’s expression, and it name “Stain” that really leaves an emotional mark.
Check out the submitted pieces of art, and discover how to exhibit your work by visiting our page Images Speak.
Obama & Gender Equality at State of the Union
To court the female and lgbt vote, Obama made several specific comments about gender equality:
“You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country. That means women should earn equal pay for equal work. It means we should support everyone who’s willing to work; and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.”
and,
“Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who’ve been sent here to serve can learn from the service of our troops. When you put on that uniform, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white; Asian or Latino; conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or straight. When you’re marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails. When you’re in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving no one behind.”
and,
“I’m confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder. But I will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf two years ago. I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury pollution, or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.”
Check Out Our New Page “Images Speak”
We have added a new page titled “Images Speak: What is a Woman” which features art from you!!
Artist Rebecca L. Boyer was the first to submit an original piece titled “Monica,” made with pastels on colored paper. Find out more about Rebecca’s art, and discover how to exhibit your work, by visiting Images Speak: What is a Woman.
13-Year Old Girl on Slut Shaming
This 13 year old is awesome!!
“Slut shaming contributes to rape culture and rape-supportive culture. Rape culture is a culture in which sexual violence against women is commonplace and in which prevalent attitudes tolerate this violence. Slut shaming contributes to this by saying that it is ok to rape sluts. Because by having too much sex or wearing tight and revealing clothing they are somehow asking for it. Rape is caused by rapists, misogyny, and structural violence and institutional tolerance – not by clothing or makeup or how she walks or talks, and not by her drinking or not being careful enough.”
Read more on the Huffington Post and Daily Mail
Women are Like Men ~ Just Cheaper
We need to pay attention to the fact that nationally American women earn only 81 cents for every male dollar! And this trend of inequality is consistent across America, with the median income for women being lower than men in all 50 states.
“The research focused on career paths of high-potential men and women, drawing on thousands of MBA graduates from top schools around the world. Catalyst found that, among those who had moved on from their first post-MBA job, there was no significant difference in the proportion of women and men who asked for increased compensation or a higher position.
Yet the rewards were different.
Women who initiated such conversations and changed jobs post MBA experiencedslower compensation growth than the women who stayed put. For men, on the other hand, it paid off to change jobs and negotiate for higher salaries—they earned more than men who stayed did. And we saw that as both men’s and women’s careers progress, the gender gap in level and pay gets even wider.”
Especially following the recent Wall-Mart scandal regarding unequal pay, it is clear that there is inferior value placed on women compared to men in the workplace. Isn’t it time we demand equal treatment?
Read more at ThinkProgress.com
Equality in the Workplace
Women collect nearly 60 percent of four-year degrees in the United States, and they make up close to 50% of the workforce.
However, our progress at gaining senior leadership positions is not as impressive. Last year, women held about 14 percent of senior executive positions at Fortune 500 companies, and worse, that number has barely budged since 2005!! So what is keeping women from taking charge? Ilene Lang, President and Chief Executive of Catalyst (a research firm looking at women in the workplace), finds that it is influenced by “entrenched sexism,” which both men and women are unconsciously influenced by. Women are often taught not to show their aggression like men, and competitiveness is often less valued in young women.
She continues by saying, “I don’t want to blame this on men,” rather “social norms that are so gendered and so stereotyped that even though we think we’ve gone past them, we really haven’t.”
The bar is set much higher for women, and men are able to get away with a lot more. It is like men are judged for their potential, while a woman has to prove herself multiple times. Companies must make a commitment to the advancement of women by promoting and mentoring them, and accurately measuring their progress.
Read more at The New York Times
The 19th Amendment ~ 91 Years Later
This week 91 years ago, the 19th Amendment was added to the US Constitution. It was finally ratified on August 18th, 1920, and prohibits any US citizen from being denied voting rights based on their sex. Before the Amendment, the Constitution allowed states to determine the qualifications for voting, and most women were thus royally screwed over. The amendment took forty-two years to pass – 42 years!! Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton initially drafted and introduced the amendment in 1878, and it was an end result of the women’s suffrage movement, which fought for the right to vote for women at both the state and national level.
Now we are 91 years farther, and it seems that the fighting never ends. We are still embarrassingly under-represented in government, and some Americans are still trying to remove women’s rights at both the state and national level. Women still have to fight for their right to have an abortion, and only earn 78 cents on the dollar compared to men. Ugh.
This is also why we value our collaboration with http://amendment19.com. We must take action and keep protecting the results of years of hard work. Remember that Anthony and Stanton introduced the Amendment 42 years before it was passed! I guess progress is slow, but let’s make sure that none of our hard-earned rights slip away – and don’t give up fighting.
Amazing Woman ~ Gabby Giffords ~ is Back
Monday afternoon US Representative Gabby Giffords, who got shot in the head only 7 months ago, returned to the house floor to cast her debt-ceiling vote! House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called Giffords “the personification of courage,” and continued that, “her presence here in the chamber as well as her service throughout her entire service in Congress, brings honor to this chamber.”
We couldn’t agree more! At a time when female participation in politics is extremely low (17%) Gabby exemplifies feminine courage and strength. We are impressed and touched.
Read more at CNN
USA on to 2011 FIFA Women’s Word Cup Finals ~ not since ’99!
The USA women’s soccer team beat France 3-1 earlier today and is moving up to finals. The women’s soccer team has not made it to finals since 1999, and will play against Japan in the final World Cup match. Japan reached finals today after their victory over Sweden.
Read more here.
17%
Today, in 2011, 17 out of 100 senators are women. There have been 39 women in the US Senate since its establishment in 1789. The first woman served in 1922. Out of the 39 women who have served as Senators, 13 were appointed – 7 to succeed their deceased husbands. Even though we make up approximately 50% of the population and workforce, we are not being fairly represented in government! No wonder politicians find it so easy to go after women’s rights.
Read more here.
46.8 %
Women make up 46.8 percent of the total U.S. labor force. Of all working women (66 million in 2009), 74 percent work full-time, while 26 percent work part-time. We are in positions of power – 40 percent of employed women hold managerial and professional positions. I would say we are kicking ass! Perhaps we should speak up a little more for ourselves (in politics, or a raise).
Read more here: US Department of Labor.
