We celebrate Women’s Equality Day on August 26th to commemorate the date that women obtained the right to vote in the United States.
We won that fight and through the succeeding years many more.
The third wave seems to be moving painfully slowly in some areas especially leveling the playing field in the workplace. Women still make less money than men for the same work and are less likely to be promoted into top leadership positions. In 1963, women who worked full-time, year-round earned 58.9% of what men did in similar jobs with similar hours. Today, women make 77.4% of a man’s salary, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. Women make up only 4% of CEO positions even though they are half of the workforce.
Just when we see a glimmer of hope like the decision recently made by the Augusta National Golf Club to admit women we move two steps backwards with attitudes and beliefs like those expressed by Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), regarding women rape victims.
::Read more:: We’ve come a long way, Baby! But have we really?
The Inclusion Solution is to continue to celebrate the successes and spotlight the inequities, putting pressure to bear on those institutions and cultures that are resistant to change. The Augusta National Golf Club finally came around. Rep. Akin is being asked to step down because of his egregious comments and maybe the incident will provide the opportunity to educate others who are ignorant about issues that impact women.
What are your thoughts on the state of women’s equality in the US today?
