The Phallacy of Equity: What is at stake for women in the workplace?

Women make up half the population, yet our issues are continually put on the backburner of society. Throughout academia, we argue for equality amongst women and men and while many think that we have come a long way, the reality is we need to take leaps and bounds! Many people are unaware that the Conservative government in January 2009 rejected Bill C-10, legislation that would address equal pay for equal work. Apparently, the disparity between the payment of women and men is not an important issue to the Conservative party. Attending the National Women’s Bargaining Equality Conference in Montreal helped me to understand this issue as well as many more concerns that Canadians face in the workplace.

Disparity in wages
Warning: these statistics may shock you! Did you know that women, working full-time, all year, still earn only 70.5 cents for every dollar men get paid? Women of colour earn only 68% and Aboriginal women an appalling 46% of what men get paid. These statistics represent today’s workforce situation for women. The fact is that women have been fighting for equality for millennia; we recall the suffragists continual strive for the vote for women. With the feminist movement of the 70s, more women entered the workplace, and the fight for equity continued. Women entered engineering and other professions traditionally occupied by men. Today we stand on the shoulders of giants, yet the struggle continues. Women need to be on bargaining committees at all levels of their unions, to bring this issue to the forefront in discussion. We can write to the government protesting the taking Bill C-10 off the table, which would provide an avenue for women to combat pay inequity.

Targeting Poverty
Another focus of the conference was discussing the ramifications of poverty, and brainstorming ways to combat this such as the Living Wage campaign. The majority of low-paid workers are Aboriginal women, immigrant women, women of colour and student workers. Marginalized people are funneled into marginalized jobs. Furthermore, if you work for poor wages, you retire in poverty.

In British Colombia, the Living Wage slogan is, “Work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you there.” Raising wages of low-paid workers would enable them to afford basic living costs and support their families. One of the proposals of the conference was to bring to bargaining tables, both provincially and nationally, the demand to increase the minimum wage to $15/ hour.

Violence in the workplace
With decent wages and benefits, a worker can leave a violent relationship. At the conference, a moving story was told by Shelly Poitras, an Aboriginal woman who had the courage to leave an abusive relationship and found support through her union at her workplace. She now is furthering her education through programs sponsored by the union and thriving at her workplace and in life.

We need your support: CUPE 2745 Taking your bras
Throughout the conference, various women were raising awareness for their unions. A union from New Brunswick made a funny yet poignant statement with their bras. The members of the union, support workers, are planning to wrap their legislative building in their support, literally. This creative measure will draw provincial attention to the important role that support workers play in the workplace. Creative thinking is a powerful tool in the battle for worker’s rights. If you want to support this cause, send your bras to CUPE 2745.

Ultimately, the conference was a call to action. Concrete steps need to be taken to address pay inequity and poverty. A major step already happening in British Colombia is the Living Wage campaign. As students, we will be walking into the workforce in only a few short years and these issues are as important as breathing. We need to petition the government to address Bill C-10, and use our creativity to brainstorm and implement ways of combating poverty, reducing violence in the workplace and achieving equity.

If you are interested in seeing the broadcast of the conference, see this link: http://cupe.ca/women/Be-impatient-for-equ.

In solidarity,
G

Bringing back the coloring book

So recently, I purchased a coloring book - a really cool one called "poster masterpieces" by Marty Noble. It is mostly Art Nouveau era posters etc. I am so excited to start coloring! Yet, everyone I have told about either laughs or tries to suppress one, or gives me a weird look. My question is: When did coloring become uncool? Is there a certain age that adults have to give up fun things like coloring to prove they are what, more sophisticated?, boring?
Anyways,I think we should bring back the coloring book!