Workplace Equal Rights & Feminism

Here are some interesting facts about women and men:

• Women earn approximately 77% of wages men earn for the same jobs.
• In politics and in the C-Suite, women have been, and still are, underrepresented.
• There continues to be an alarming amount of violence against women, even here in the United States.

Feminists act to change and improve these (and other) facts about gender treatment. Feminists are people – women and men. Because both genders participate, perhaps it should be called “People-ism”?!

Surrounding the words “feminism” and “feminist” is a bit of misperception—and definitely some “baggage” from the past. People sometimes associate these terms with an old stigma – “radicals,” “men haters,” “bra burners.” These old ideas don’t provide an accurate assessment of modern feminism.

Most social/political/economic movements are perceived as “radical” when they started (think: abolitionists, gay rights). Over time, the believers and activists allowed their movements to mature, and they transitioned into a place of even greater credibility.

If you believe that women should receive equal pay for equal work, have the same chance at work and education that men have, and should be free from the threat and delivery of harm because of their gender, then you also are a feminist.

That’s OK.

Feminism is the advocacy for women’s political, social, and economic rights to be equal to those of men. All are invited to support this concept, especially men.

What will YOU do to treat all people appropriately—offering equal social, political, and economic opportunities regardless of gender? What ACTIONS will you take today?

Here are some Equal Rights In the Workplace online resources:

Non-Discrimination/Equal Employment Opportunity and Anti-harassment Policies
Pay Equity & Discrimination policies
Gender Identity Discrimination
Sex-Based Discrimination
Pregnancy Discrimination In Employment