Got the Monday blues? Here’s all the inspiration you need.
How Robin Wright Negotiated Equal Pay on ‘House of Cards’
Yaaaaas! Props to Robin Wright for negotiating for what she’s worth.
Um, we wish. In the immortal words of Rihanna, #paymewhatyouoweme.
Strong women lift each other up! Happy International Women’s Day, ladies. Thanks to all the amazing women who motivate, challenge, and inspire me to be a stronger, smarter ladyboss everyday.
This, this, this! <3
Color Coded Sports: Debunking Stereotypes for Women Athletes of Color
At my predominantly white, parochial high school, there was a running joke among my peers: To determine the number of black students enrolled there, one simply needed to look at the football, basketball, and track team yearbook photos. Though stated in jest, this sentiment is the epitome of the one-track narrative that stereotypes and confines African American athletes.
At the same time, African Americans have long used athletics as a form of protest — from silently raising their fists for civil rights on Olympic podiums to calling for equal pay in prize money. Here are three ways we can expand the perception of black Americans in sports and continue celebrating their legacies.
1. Understand that physique alone does not guarantee athletic success.
According to Serena Williams, the number one women’s tennis player in the world, “Tennis is 70 percent mental. I won most of my matches — probably all of my Grand Slams — from upstairs, not anything else,” she says, pointing to her brain. Yet some critics have attributed her success to her muscular physique, trivializing the mental fortitude necessary to endure long training regimens, perform well under pressure, and strategize victory. Williams’ build undoubtedly helps her achieve the agility, flexibility, and strength necessary to perform in the same way that Michael Phelps’ body structure helps him swim at record-breaking speeds. But Williams’ excellence, manufactured from both mental and physical power, rebels against ideas that minimize the success of women athletes with bodies that do not meet mainstream definitions of beauty, a practice that disproportionately affects women of color and limits their ability to obtain endorsements.
2. Include and invest in women of color in the sciences.
From designing sports products to building a burgeoning market of smart technology and mobile apps around exercise and athletics, scientists play a powerful role in aiding athletes. AAUW research shows that when women are included in the technical design process behind these products, the devices are better able to meet women-specific needs. A critical example is prosthetics, which are used to help facilitate rehabilitation, yet are largely based on the bone density and structure of a white male. According to biomedical engineering doctoral scholar Adrienne Williams, a 2015–16 AAUW International Fellow, African American women, who face different health risks than white males, would benefit from a more mindful design of prosthetic limbs. “Unfortunately, mass production is based on average measurements taken from groups for which data already exists and is readily available and therefore cheaper to obtain,” she says. This is just one of the many reasons why it’s critical that we work to make science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields more accessible to women of color.
3. Recognize the many women of color excelling in uncommon positions.
More than half a century before Title IX leveled the playing field for women in sports, Lucy Diggs Slowe, a Howard University student, became the first African American to win a national title when she won the American Tennis Association’s national tournament in 1917. Today, African American women athletes still live in a generation of firsts — from Maritza Correia, who became the first African American woman swimmer on the U.S. Olympic Team in 2002 to Nzingha Prescod, an African American who became the first American foil fencer to win a Grand Prix Title in 2013. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the woman behind Beyoncè’s “Flawless” definition of a feminist, once said, “The single story creates stereotypes. The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete.” Amplifying these women’s stories and others like them is critical — not just for little black girls, who can use them to visualize their dreams, but also for black women, who can be edified by knowing the richness of their history and the diversity of the experiences of women who look like them.
This post was written by Fellowships and Grants Program Assistant Seaira Christian-Daniels.
What better way to watch tonight’s State of the Union address than by playing Bingo?
We’ve created Bingo cards with some of the key words women and girls want to hear from Obama in his final year as president. Grab your friends, your favorite snacks, and get ready to play!
Be sure to follow @AAUW on Twitter and use hashtag #AAUWSOTU to play along
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and get in the running to win awesome FREE prizes!
Prizes go to First Place, Funniest Tweet, Best Photo, and more. Print your game boards now.
Chris Rock: If Jennifer Lawrence Were Black, 'She'd Really Have Something To Complain About'
Chris Rocks hits on an important fact: The gender pay gap affects all women, but it doesn’t affect all women equally.
Black women were paid 63 percent of what non-Hispanic white men were paid in 2014. That means it takes the typical black woman nearly seven extra months to be paid what the average white man took home back on December 31. That’s even worse than the national pay gap for women of all races, 79 percent, as reported by AAUW’s research.
Think about how that adds up in the course of a career, and we’re talking about losing a daunting chunk of change over a lifetime.
Think this needs to change? We do.
The fight for gender equality is ongoing, and with election 2016 approaching, there’s so much at stake. You can help! Donate to AAUW by Thursday, December 31, and your gift will be matched dollar for dollar.
Learn more about Elect Her, our national program to train young women to run for office.
These Four Supreme Court Cases Were Major Victories in 2015
2015 brought in a wave of wins for gender equity. Let’s keep it up in 2016!
1. A Win for the Pregnancy Discrimination Act
Young v. UPS went to the heart of one of the most important workplace protection laws: the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). Passed in 1978, the PDA states unequivocally that pregnancy discrimination is a form of sex discrimination, and it requires employers to treat pregnant employees the same as non-pregnant employees who have similar abilities or inabilities to work. This spring, the court ruled 6-3 in favor of Peggy Young, which means that she will be able to present her case to the lower court for a ruling on the merits. Had the court sided with UPS, it could have weakened the PDA’s protection for pregnant workers.
2. Women’s Health Care Protected
King v. Burwell was yet another challenge to the Affordable Care Act. In King, opponents of the health care law argued that tax credits that help low-income people afford health care coverage should only be available to people in states with state-run health care exchanges. If the court had sided with the challengers, millions of women would have lost health care coverage.
3. Voting Rights: Victories and Questions
With a major election cycle gearing up, voting rights are on our minds.The court saw several significant cases this term that addressed gerrymandering and redistricting. Two of the most significant were the linked cases Alabama Legislative Black Caucus v. Alabama and Alabama Democratic Conference v. Alabama. The court of appeals sided with the state. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court reversed, sending the plan back to the lower court for a district-by-district review. Although the court did not rule on the constitutionality of the plan, it indicated that a majority of justices believed that at least some of the districts were drawn unconstitutionally. The court’s decision doesn’t ensure that the plan will be declared unconstitutional by the lower court, but it offers a chance for the challengers to make a case.
As we approach the 2016 election next year, these challenges will be front and center.
4. And Last But Not Least, Marriage Equality Prevailed!
Though all of the court’s decisions are significant, this term will be remembered for one particular case: Obergefell v. Hodges. In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled that states must allow same-sex couples to marry and must recognize same-sex marriages validly performed in other states. Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court, relied on earlier cases that had established the right to marry as a fundamental right. Of the same-sex couples seeking to marry, he wrote, “They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”
Humans Will Probably Walk on Mars Before Women Get Equal Pay
Here are just some of the things we might have before women achieve equal pay: flying cars, long walks on Mars, teleportation, hoverboards, household robots. Houston, we have a problem.
Based on two different projections — the pace of change since the 1960s and the pace of change in the past decade — women won’t see equal pay until 2059 or 2276, respectively. That’s because progress in closing the gender pay gap has stalled in recent years. The result? It could be more than 250 years, or nearly three generations, until women get fair pay.
There’s a problem when futuristic wish lists become more realistic than the prospect of equity. You can help close the pay gap by donating to AAUW this #GivingTuesday.
Altogether, the gender pay gap costs a typical woman at least $400,000 over the course of her career. That’s no small chunk of change. Because of the pay gap, women are more likely than men to live in poverty, struggle with the burden of student debt, and experience economic insecurity in retirement. The harm caused by pay inequity runs deep, especially given that women make up a record 40 percent of U.S. breadwinners.
According to AAUW’s latest research, women working full time, year round are paid only 79 cents for every dollar men are paid. The pay gap is even worse for mothers and women of color. African American women are typically paid just 63 percent of what white men are paid. Hispanic and Latina women face the largest gap, making 54 percent of white men’s earnings. For these women, it’s arguably more likely that their grandchildren will live with robots or walk on Mars than have fair pay.
For ourselves and our children, it’s time to pick up the pace in the fight for fair pay.
Founded in 1881, AAUW has been studying the gender pay gap since 1894, when we first analyzed the pay of college-educated women. Through the years, we’ve continued to conduct groundbreaking research on pay equity as well as advocate for policy and legislative action to close the pay gap. AAUW members were in the room when President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law in 1963. More recently, AAUW members worked tirelessly to help pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was signed into law in 2009. It was a start, but the pay gap remains. And as trends show, it’s sticking around — that is, unless we act.
Equal pay shouldn’t be a dream for our great, great, great granddaughters. Agree? Lend a hand this #GivingTuesday!
Luckily, there are many things employers, individuals, and governments can do to help speed up the process, including supporting AAUW.When it comes to policy, we must continue to advocate for strong pay equity legislation, including the long-stalled Paycheck Fairness Act, as well as encourage employers to support flexible work schedules and conduct job audits to ensure fairness. AAUW also educates the public about the harm of the pay gap, and we hold national workshops to empower women to hone their salary negotiation skills. In September, we announced a collaboration with Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement to bring AAUW’s Work Smart salary negotiation workshop to half the working women in Bostonover the next five years. These efforts are critical elements as we work to close the gender pay gap.
It’s been an uphill battle, but progress has occurred. We’ve made strides since the 1930s, when the federal government actually required that its female workers be paid 25 percent less than male workers in the same jobs. Back then, American women likely felt that the prospect of receiving a paycheck equal to a man’s was the stuff of science fiction. But groups like AAUW have helped lead the charge in policy and cultural shifts. Today, we have the power to make fair pay a reality — if we all take action and chip in.
Buckle up those jet packs. Equal pay, here we come.
A Timely Reminder This Thanksgiving - Native Women Have to Work 9 Extra Months to Make the Same Salary as White Men Made Last Year
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: There’s a pay gap between women and men, and that gap is even wider for women of color. But here are a few facts you might not have heard before: American Indian and Alaska Native women are paid just 59 cents for every dollar white men are paid. For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, that number is 62 cents.
Native women are a notoriously understudied group. According to Catherine Hill, AAUW vice president of research, the relatively small size of their population is at least partially responsible for the lack of information. American Indians and Alaska Natives make up just 2 percent of the U.S. population, about 5.2 million men and women. There are just 1.4 million natives of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. In contrast, there are 200.9 million people in the white population and 45 million in the black or African American population.
The lack of data means that, for now, we can’t definitively say what is causing this gap, but we can hedge a few guesses. Native people face disproportionate rates of unemployment, poverty, and violence, as well as limited access to education, and women tend to bear the brunt of discrimination. Yes, there’s a pay gap between native men (who are underpaid) and native women.
There is some good news. Native American women are now going to college and holding jobs at higher rates than ever before, and we know that education and good jobs help increase earnings — though they don’t eliminate the wage gap. So for now, we’ll mark September 8, and keep agitating for some real change.
Read more → bit.ly/nativewomenpay
Help close the gender pay gap→ bit.ly/AAUWgive
16 Ways to Mark 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence!
“Violence against women is not acceptable. It is not inevitable. It can be prevented.” — Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director, U.N. Women
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign begins November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on December 10, Human Rights Day, highlighting the indelible fact that violence against girls and women is a human rights violation. This year’s campaign theme, From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Make Education Safe for All, highlights the “relationship between militarism and the right to education in situations of violent conflict, in relative peace, and [a] variety of education settings.”
Parallel to the 16 Days campaign, the United Nations’ UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, led by U.N. Women, encourages “orange events” like concerts, flash mobs, and marathons featuring the color to take place around the world. These events will “symbolize a brighter future without violence” and launch the first-ever U.N. Framework on Preventing Violence against Women.
The U.N. 16 Days campaign invites participants to “orange the world” to raise awareness around gender-based violence. Image by UN Women, Flickr Creative Commons
But we’ve done some of the work for you. Here is a day-by-day guide to raising awareness about gender-based violence during and after the campaign!
Day 1: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
Share the Violence against Women infographic to increase awareness of gender-based violence (GBV) as a global pandemic.
Day 2:
Swap your Facebook profile picture.
To kick off the campaign, all Facebook users can change their profile pictures to the 16 Days campaign logo for the duration of the campaign. Help spread the word and bring awareness to GBV and the right to safe, accessible education by changing your profile picture and inviting your Facebook friends to change theirs!
Download the campaign logo and upload it as your profile picture.
Day 3: Download and share the AAUW Ending Campus Sexual Assault Tool Kit.
Use these resources to raise awareness about campus sexual assault so that everyone can help make campuses safe for all students.
Day 4: Check out the international 16 Days campaign calendar.
Get inspired by what’s happening in your local area and globally. Visit often since activities and events are updated daily!
Day 5: Follow @16DaysCampaign on Twitter and join the conversation!
Keep reading and tweeting the AAUW blog for information on how violence affects education for women and girls, and spread the word on our International Fellowships for women around the globe.
9 in 10 Colleges Reported No Sexual Assaults in 2014
“What these zeros really tell us is that students don’t feel comfortable coming forward with formal reports at these schools,” says Lisa M. Maatz, vice president of government relations at AAUW.
According to data just released by the Department of Education, 91 percent of colleges reported ZERO incidents of rape in 2014.
…Um, what?
We *wish* these statistics weren’t too good to be true. After all, how can institutions proactively working end campus sexual assault if the severity of the problem isn’t recognized? Read AAUW’s analysis.