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WOMEN IN U.S. HISTORY

WOMEN IN U.S. HISTORY. Equality in Work. 1950’s to 2000. Paid Work: 1945-1963 Have to or Want to? . The war is over; what do we do now? Some women quit their jobs; some were fired; some were demoted to lower skill jobs for less pay.

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WOMEN IN U.S. HISTORY

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  1. WOMEN IN U.S. HISTORY Equality in Work 1950’s to 2000

  2. Paid Work: 1945-1963Have to or Want to? • The war is over; what do we do now? • Some women quit their jobs; some were fired; some were demoted to lower skill jobs for less pay. • Public judged whether a woman should work by her reason – support the family or make extra money….. • Which was acceptable? Although many employers stopped the practice of firing women when they got married, they limited female ambition to dead-end, low paying jobs, usually “pink collar” service and clerical.

  3. Sexism is a social disease! You cannot … Be anything but a teacher, secretary, nurse Expect to earn as much as men Still work if you are pregnant Serve on a jury Apply for a credit card or loan without your husband’s permission Enroll in an Ivy League college or get into med or law school.

  4. Commission on the Status of Women Student groups protested unequal work status while others worked through government channels. In 1961, President Kennedy formed the Commission on the Status of Women. In 1963, the commission found the workplace was profoundly and intentionally unequal … In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act that required equal pay for equal work --- it didn’t work! Why? Men and women worked at different jobs. The law was difficult to enforce.

  5. Who am I? What should I be? What are my choices? Why not?

  6. Women Protest (Again?) DID IT WORK?

  7. PAID WORK ISSUES

  8. EQUAL PAY: WHAT DID WE THINK? Here is one opinion Equal Pay IS THIS SEGMENT A REALISTIC PROTRAYAL OF THE WAY ALL PEOPLE FELT ABOUT EQUAL PAY FOR WOMEN? GIVE YOUR OPINION IN ONE PARAGRAPH GIVING TWO FACTS FOR YOUR ANSWERS.

  9. LEGALITIES EQUAL PAY ACT OF 1963 CIVIL RIGHTS ACT 1964 Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 USC 2000e, makes it unlawful for an employer to hire or discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his/her compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment, because of an individual’s race, color, religion, sex or national origin. This covers hiring, firing, promotions and all workplace conduct. SEC. 206. [Section 6](d) (1) No employer having employees subject to any provisions of this section shall discriminate, within any establishment in which such employees are employed, between employees on the basis of sex by paying wages to employees in such establishment at a rate less than the rate at which he pays wages to employees of the opposite sex in such establishment for equal work on jobs the performance of which requires equal skill ,effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working conditions, except where such payment is made pursuant to (i) a seniority system; (ii) a merit system; (iii) a system which measures earnings by quantity or quality of production; or (iv) a differential based on any other factor other than sex: Provided, That an employer who is paying a wage rate differential in violation of this subsection shall not, in order to comply with the provisions of this subsection, reduce the wage rate of any employee.

  10. Hero of Equality: Lilly Ledbetter …and her law

  11. Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 The bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 stating that the 180-day statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit regarding pay discrimination resets with each new discriminatory paycheck. The law was a direct answer to the Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 550 U.S. 618 (2007), a U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that the statute of limitations for presenting an equal-pay lawsuit begins at the date the pay was agreed upon, not at the date of the most recent paycheck, as a lower court had ruled.

  12. What qualities make Lilly a hero?

  13. AFFIRMATIVE ACTIONWHAT IS IT? … an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women; also : a similar effort to promote the rights or progress of other disadvantaged persons MERRIAM WEBSTER DICTIONARY

  14. Working Girl and discrimination Watch the film clips for the following information: Examples of discrimination by men and women How does Tess triumph? What steps did Tess take to create her success? What changes did she make in the work place? WRITE YOUR ANSWERS AND HAND THEM IN AT THE END OF THE CLASS.

  15. Executive Discrimination In the movie, Baby Boom, discrimination is more subtle but still present in the workplace. Give examples in relation to the following situations: Partnership Conversation: “…I can have it all…” (Clue: What did she do to fit in?) Job Loss: “…you’ve changed…” (Clue: What was different?) Home Business:”…I am a cold, career woman…” (Clue: How did her executive skills translate to new work?) Negotiations for company sale: “I don’t want to make sacrifices and I shouldn’t have to…” (Clue: What is the underlying message of the film? Is it true?) HAND IN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS AT THE END OF CLASS.

  16. Workplace Discrimination Challenged • Women’s lobbying resulted in federal actions in the early 1970’s: Women’s inclusion in 1963 and 1964 Acts was clarified. 1971: unconstitutional to legally favor one gender over another Patterns of segregated labor were overturned. 1974: legislation prohibited discrimination by gender for credit transactions. 1978: pregnant women received explicit protection under the 1974 Act. • Local women’s activist groups demonstrated against companies, picketed newspapers and staffed telephone hot lines to offer advice on workplace discrimination. • Women organized in their work places and made demands; grassroots efforts were effective nationally.

  17. H E R O E S THEN AND NOW!

  18. SEXUAL HARASSMENT EXAMPLES • Pre-discrimination laws: Some examples: What is acceptable? • Post-discrimination laws: Moreexamples What is acceptable? What has changed? Why?

  19. Sexual Harassment at Work • Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination, in the United States, that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. • Sexual harassment occurs when one employee makes continued, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, to another employee, against his or her wishes. • According to a current issues update from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), sexual harassment occurs, "when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.” http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossarys/a/sexualharassdef.htm

  20. Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas • In 1991, Clarence Thomas was nominated to a place on the Supreme Court by President George H. W. Bush. Thomas had been Reagan’s chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). He had proven to be very conservative and opposed to Affirmative Action. • During the hearings, Anita Hill, Also an African American lawyer, charged that Thomas had sexually harassed her when she worked for him at EEOC. Thomas denied all charges and equated it to a lynching. • Senators did not appreciate the gravity of the situation and approved Thomas’ nomination. BACKLASH Sexual harassment became part of the public consciousness. Polls revealed 4 of 10 women said they faced unwanted sexual advances at work. RESULTS The power, assertiveness and participation of women in electoral politics increased

  21. The Current Situation Positives Negatives There is still a 20% wage gap. The majority of women still work in female-dominated jobs that pay less (clerical and administrative support, domestic and institutional health service. The clout of Affirmative Action has bee decreased by new laws and the rescinding of old ones that banned discrimination. Opponents charged “reverse discrimination”. • By 2009, women’s wages averaged growth to 80% of men’s. • By 2006, 49% of medical and law degrees were earned by women. • By 2002, women were 25% of highly paid executives. • Barriers have fallen in many male-dominated occupations and professions. • Female unionization increases helped raise pay rates for female-dominated professions.

  22. Where are we now? Is this the truth?

  23. Is this the truth? Concession speech: Hillary Rodham Clinton, June 7, 2008

  24. Where do we go from here? Let’s change Hillary’s focus on little girls to … “every person can dream and his/her dreams can come true in America…” How can this happen? What must you do? How will you do it? Why?

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