WOMEN FIGHT FOR PAY EQUALITY – ABC NEWS
The structure of our society is patriarchal: leadership positions, highly paid and highly estimated work occupied mostly by men. Even if the women do the same work as men they earn less. Moreover, in addition to the work a woman should take care of the household and her family. While this provision is clearly unfair the society (mostly men) doesn’t want to change anything.
Sexism is so usual in our society and in our minds, than it is often not notice. Most of us brought up in the spirit of sexism from early childhood. If the parents didn’t brought up their child this way, then at least, environment, society and traditions teach boys to play with toy cars, and girls with dolls. Further, young men should be strong and courageous and girls are required to be beautiful and feminine; and, finally, men need to support the family economically, and women to keep order in the house. However, in reality a woman not only has to take care of her children, the family and the house, but she has to work as well.
The sexism (as a racism) implies the superiority of physical and intellectual manifestations, although not provided convincing arguments in favor of the fact that men are better than women or vice versa. Traditional arguments – such as the indication of the limitations of women in terms of creativity or links to the notorious women’s logic or psychological instability still exist in the public consciousness. These prejudices have not been proved by the science; it is just stereotypes imposed to us by the society from ancient times.
Watching this video and hearing the story of Brzezinski reminded me myself. As she said, we, women “apologize too much and we worry too much” men are not the same way. In fact it is true. I used to feel same way at work. I worked for company as a manager, where they needed someone with experience and bilingual with Russian language. Most of the ordering for the corporation was by the phone and I was in charge. I had a partner manager male older than me who did half of what I did but he got paid at least 30% more than I did for doing less job.
Many times I came home and complained to my husband about the situation that was bothering me. He as a man, always set me down and explained to me how to be tougher and ask my boss for raise or just ask him why I earned less than someone else who did fewer jobs than me. Obviously I never went up to him and asked anything.
This is a typical case of sexism. Where man as masculine individual can do everything, (not in reality) not worry about much about certain things and will be estimated same way than woman- feminine, emotional “less able” person.
I agree with Jenifer’s post that we were raise certain way in our families and were taught that difference between men and women. I don’t think pay gap should exist at all if they perform same job. If they are working in different fields and doing completely different jobs then it is a different story. Everyone should have equal right to same pay for same job performance.