Send Your Resume to Senator John McCain: Show Him Women Are Just As Qualified As Men
April 25, 2008 by Kristen King
Filed under Business
Image details: John McCain Attends Economic Summit Meeting In Milwaukee served by picapp.com
There’s nothing like a little controversy to close out the week on a fun note.
My super-cool Channel Editor Kelly Phillips Erb, aka taxgirl, forwarded me some very interesting info this morning, which she received from MomRising.org. For those who haven’t heard of it before — and I hadn’t before today — MomRising.org is a website about workplace discrimination. Here’s an excerpt from what Kelly forwarded (bold link is mine, not theirs; all other emphasis as in original):
We woke up this morning to an article which made us think the calendar had been switched back 50 years while we were sleeping. Yesterday, the Senate failed to pass the Fair Pay Act. What was almost worse than that defeat were the out-of-touch, misinformed — and downright insulting — statements about women.
Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who didn’t even come to vote, said that instead of legislation allowing them to demand equal pay, women simply need “education and training.”1 Not only is his information wrong — women are currently paid less for the same work, even though they have the same education and training — he’s also sending a message to our nation, to our sons and daughters, that this pay gap is okay, and it’s women’s fault for being paid less. Not so!
We have the perfect way to show Senator McCain just how qualified we really are.
*Sign the Petition for Fair Pay & Send Senator McCain Your Resume (or thoughts on the matter) while you’re at it:
http://www.momsrising.org/fairpaymccainWhen you sign the petition, you’ll join us in telling Congress: “We Need Equal Pay for Equal Work — it is good law, make it enforceable again.”
MomRising.org also did a big chunk of my job for me by compiling links to press coverage of and other organizations’ takes on the Senate decision:
- New York Times Article
- New York Times Editorial
- Washington Post Article
- LA Times Editorial
- Alliance for Justice
- Alliance for Justice’s 5 minute documentary short on Lilly
- National Women’s Law Center
- National Organization for Women
What do you think about this Senate decision? How will it affect your career, our economy, and the future of women in business? Do you support MomRising.org’s petition? Leave a comment.
Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King
Tags: women in business, women and business, women, woman, business, john mccain, senator, senate, fair pay act, lilly ledbetter, resume, petition, discrimination, sex, gender, pay gap, lower pay for women, discrimination against women, fair pay for women, momrising, momsrising, mom rising, moms rising, workplace discrimination, national organization for women, national womens law center, alliance for justice, biz chicks rule, kristen king
i hadnt heard about this… it IS aweful…and extremely insulting… which is why feminism should not be dead and young girls shouldnt be afraid to embrace it.
Thanks for commenting, Nicole. I hope others will weigh in as well.
Nice, huh? Nothing like the last ACCEPTED area of bigotry. Is he aware that women now outnumber men in terms of college attendance?
The interesting thing about the Act is that it isn’t so much about making it easier to sue (as is alleged by those Senators who opposed the bill) as it is setting the statute of limitations at a more realistic level. This would not have encouraged frivolous law suits – in fact, I believe it would have done the opposite by putting corporations on notice for the duration of the harm, not just the beginning.
As for McCain, of all of the candidates for president, he couldn’t be bothered to return for the vote (and he’s not even campaigning right now). I think that says a lot about him.
(Psst, someone should send Sen. Hatch a resume, too!)
Is McCain out of touch? Sure he is. But what do you expect from a man of his age? Not trying to be insulting, but be aware that (most) men his age, from his generation are of the opinion that women “have a place” and they should remain there. (To him) placing women on equal footing with men in terms of pay equity says that, well, they’re equal. After all, who’s going to draw his bath and fix his plate if the little lady is…gasp…at work!
I’m sure he perhaps did not feel comfortable making the vote. Not because he didn’t have information. Not because he perhaps did not see where it’s actually fair. But because of his mindset about the way things are “supposed to be.” Just my own speculation, but McCain can’t help but think like he does. It’s just the time he’s from.
@Miranda – According to the e-mail I got…
Women now make up 58% of college graduates and nearly half of the labor force, but still earn less pay for the same work as men. Worse yet, mothers only make 73 cents to a man’s dollar, for the exact same job. College graduate, high school graduate, law school diploma, nursing degree, whatever your training; women should make equal pay for equal work.
I think there are still a lot of areas of discrimination that are accepted. Racism is everywhere even though we’d like to believe it’s not. And lordy, the obese are discriminated against and persecuted all over the place in shocking ways. But yes, discrimination against women is still a pressing issue.
@Kelly – Interesting to get the legal POV. I didn’t really think about it in terms of law suits.
I did, however, think about it in terms of how it would affect his campaign that he didn’t bother voting. I wonder why he didn’t. Choice? Unforeseen circumstance? Forgot? Intentional abstention? Hmm…
@Bridget – I don’t know that that’s going to fly, though. I mean, if he were an old Southerner whose daddy was a KKK man, he couldn’t discriminate against blacks because “it’s just the time he’s from.” It doesn’t work with women, either.
I’m not giving YOU a hard time, B, I’m saying that if he or his folks want to use that as a reason for him not to participate, well, it’s a poor excuse. There are lots of good reasons, but that ain’t one of them.
That’s true Kristen, and you also actually make another good point.
First though, he shouldn’t be excused because of his mindset. But if you’re raised to think a certain way and that’s all you know, it is very hard to change. Sometimes impossible. Think about it: he perhaps just doesn’t see the need for equality because he was never exposed to it.
How are you going to ever change if you’re never around folks who think differently than you? That, and you do need to have an open mind too.
A brilliant send up of his horrific statement over at comedy central
http://blog.indecision2008.com/2008/04/25/john-mccains-guide-to-training-women-in-the-workplace/
Would this issue even have come up if it weren’t presidential election year? It certainly makes a good media topic and campaign rhetoric. Lots of issues, this year, are being taken out of context and/or blown out of proportion, depending on how they’re perceived to help or hinder a candidate. And many conclusions are reached without all the facts being known.
@Bridget – Excellent observation. It’s impossible to recognize the NEED for change if you don’t see a problem with the way things have always been. And being surrounded by like-minded people all the time does make it difficult to notice that others have different opinions. I have no idea who McCain hangs out with, so who knows if that’s an issue, but it’s a good message for all of us.
@Michelle – LOL, thanks for the link. I love those illustrations. :)
@MEA – I think the issue would have come up regardless because it’s definitely a big deal, but I don’t think McCain would have been targeted if he weren’t running for POTUS.
Okay..I’m a guy, so you can properly roast me after this post…Do these studies take into account factors such as women needing flexible work arrangements, pregnancy, stay-at-home moms, etc? They might…I’m just asking.
If a women gets pregnant and out of work for a few months, the men who are still at work will likely progress. When she comes back she’ll have the same job but the guys are ahead of her because of time, experience, etc.
My wife is a stay-at-home mom and plans to go back to work when our son is in school. She’ll be out for 4+ years. She can’t expect a salary in the same job higher than men who have worked continuously for four years while she was out of work.
Unfortunately, in today’s 24/7/365 world, the work day (sadly) is much longer than 8 hours. Many times it is the woman (moms) who need to head home at 5pm. I’m not being sexist but this is what I see at my work. The guys work late and the women who are moms need to leave at a reasonable hour. It may not be fair but that’s the reality.
All else being equal, men and women should be paid the same. But when are things really equal?