Duke v. Wal-Mart Raises the Issue of Sex Discrimination in Corporate America

Yesterday, March 29th the Supreme Court heard arguments in Duke v. Wal-Mart, the largest employment discrimination class-action suit in American history. What began in 2001 by six female employees will now include more than a million women and may cost the retailer billions in damages.

In 2001, Betty Dukes sued Wal-Mart for sex discrimination in a lawsuit filed on behalf of every woman who worked for the company since 1998—roughly 1.5 million women. According to the plaintiffs, a common culture of sexism led to a pattern and practice of discrimination against women working at Wal-Mart stores nationwide. The  New York Times reported that women make up only 33% of the company’s managers but comprise 65% of hourly employees.

Although the Supreme Court has not yet decided if the all women should join in a single case, the pending lawsuit has turned the spotlight onto the issue of continuing gender discrimination in the United States.

Sociologist and Best-selling author BJ Gallagher published a column on the Huffington Post connecting Duke V. Wal-Mart to challenges women face in the business world. According to Gallagher, women in business are often ignored by the “dog ears” of their male counterparts. The problem with this kind of discrimination is that it is difficult to quantify. But Gallagher backs up her claim with some concrete numbers from the Wall Street Journal business best-seller list. In a story those of us at the OpEd Project are all to familiar with, Gallagher reports that of the top 15 titles listed each week, almost 100% are written by men.

If this reflected a true lack of female experts from the business world, this would be less of an issue. But Gallagher writes “more new businesses formed were started by women than women in the last twenty-five years … and women business owners employ 35% more people than the Fortune 500 combined!“

Women are still paid less than 80% of what men in comparable jobs are paid. If the Wal-Mart class action suit is taken on by the Supreme Court, their decision will probably be its most important business ruling this term. Regardless of the outcome, the efforts of the Wal-Mart women are sending a wake-up call to the corporate world. Sexual discrimination, no matter what we may wish to believe, is still a major problem. If you have an experience or idea regarding women in the workplace, now is the time to voice it!

Jody Williams on the Colbert Report: Enough White Dude Ideas

On Thursday, March 24th Jody Williams, one of seven women to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and one of the founders of the Nobel Women’s Initiative made an appearance on the Colbert Report. Williams, who won the Peace Prize for her effort on the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, argues  we have a long way to go before achieving gender quality. The Nobel Women’s Initiative, c0-founded by six female recipients of the prize, aims “to help strengthen work being done in support of women’s rights around the world – work often carried out in the shadows with little recognition.” In the 100 years since its founding, the Nobel Peace Prize has only been awarded to 12 women. Clearly, this is not a reflection of a gender imbalance among campaigns to promote world peace. Instead, it reflects a continuing resistance to recognize and promote work led by women around the world.

As Williams states it loud and clear, the fact that the ideas and efforts of half of the world’s population are continuing to be ignored is a serious problem with major policy repercussions. “If you have a bunch of white dudes sitting around a table you’re going to get white dude ideas.”

 

Click here to see the full video of Williams on the show. To read more about the Nobel Women’s Initiative, click here.

Women Policy Makers Support Military Action in Libya: Why is this news?

Since the President announced his decision to deploy American forces to Libya, news commentary from across the political spectrum has been wrought with criticism of Obama for bowing to his “hawkish female advisers.” The emerging storyline is that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and National Security Advisor Samantha Power stampeded over the (male) heavy-hitters like Defense Secretary Robert Gates and National Security Adviser Thomas E. Donilon to convince Obama to take military action in Libya. With headlines such as “Was Obama Henpecked into War?”  this criticism is heavy with misogynistic overtones, with many commentators expressing shock and dismay at female support for war. Women, it is argued, are supposed to be against violence.  Some go so far as to complain that the increase in female policy makers has not made our government less prone to military action.

These sexist claims have incited a few strong responses on the op-ed pages, including pieces by Katha Pollit of The Nation, and Maureen Dowd of the New York Times.

Pollit’s column, “This Just In: Women are Not All Pacifists,” is written in response to fellow Nation Blogger Robert Dreyfuss’ piece “Obama’s Women Advisers Pushed War Against Libya.”  Pollit strongly condemns Dreyfuss for his chauvinist argument and language, arguing his column demonstrates misogyny still stands as the last acceptable prejudice of the left.

Dowd’s column, Fight of the Valkyries, similarly laments the preoccupation with the female administrator’s push for military action. Dowd argues that in their obsession with the “guy v. girl narrative” currently unfolding in the White House, news commentators and White House aids alike are missing the real issue. Rather than question the Obama Administration’s decision to deploy American forces, the media has been swept into the upset caused by female support for action against Qaddafi.

It is surprising and deplorable that the gender issue raised by female support for military action is dominating headlines, especially in a time of such tremendous upheaval and crisis around the world. Rather than look to Clinton, Rice, and Power’s reasoning and credentials for supporting military action in Libya, we continue examine their efforts through the lens of gender alone.  If you have any thoughts about the apparent obsession with the gender dynamic in the White House, please take the time to voice them now.

Grand Finale: March Writing Workshop Series

Last night marked the last meeting of the March Writing Workshop Series led by the OpEd Project’s lovely Katherine Lanpher. As an intern here at OEP I, Gus Hagen-Dillon, had the opportunity to participate in the workshop. It was an incredibly inspiring, and informative experience to work beside such a diverse group of brilliant, successful, and witty women.

Over the course of the month, each participant had the opportunity to work on developing an op-ed (or two or three) under the guidance and support of the group. Collectively, we covered a broad range of expertise and were able to generate many innovative ideas. Although we worked hard to develop and critique each others op-ed’s, each session had its fair share of laughs. Here’s a photo of the lovely group:

The remarkable group of women!

The workshop produced a number of successes- here’s a few highlights:

Qanta Ahmed published an column in the online edition of USA Today about sleep deprivation entitled Sleep Matters: the conversation with America starts here

Kim Taylor published an op-ed on PBS’ Need to Know Website entitled Lost in the fog of Alzheimer’s

If you are interested in joining the workshop and developing your own op-ed under the guidance and support of an awesome group of ladies, sign up for the April workshop series that begins April 5th!

Nicholas Kristof Speaks to the Power of Opinion Journalism

Mallary Jean Tenore published a column on Poynter.org today, discussing the prevailing gender gap in leadership positions with Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times.

Interestingly, on the question of how to end the many cycles of repression and amplify women’s voices, Kristof argues placing women in positions of political leadership doesn’t always help those who need it most. While recognizing that in the United States, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has systematically raised international women’s issues since entering office, Kristof says in countries such as India, where there’s a heavy emphasis on class, women leaders focus less on assisting the female population.

Kristof says that when he and his wife Sheryl WuDunn were writing their book Half the Sky they “found that having a woman as a president or prime minister didn’t seem to make any real difference in terms of issues of concern to women, like maternal health and girls attending schools.”

So if top-down leadership doesn’t hold the key to empowering women, what else can be done? Journalists, says Kristof, hold tremendous importance in giving women’s issues a voice.

“I think that if one is trying to figure out in Egypt or in India or in any other country how to get some social concerns onto the agenda, then a starting point is to get them on the op-ed pages; otherwise, they just tend to be invisible,” Kristof told Tenore.

Those of us here at the OpEd Project are well aware of the importance of opinion journalism. But know you’ve heard it from one of the most renowned opinion writers: the op-ed pages drive conversations across all sectors of society. In celebration of International Women’s Day, do something to support female populations around the world- all you need is an opinion.

Happy International Women’s Day!

On behalf of all of us here at the OpEd Project, we wish you a very happy 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day! On this day of celebration, take a moment to recognize how important women’s voices and opinions have been to accomplishing social change throughout history.

A glance at The Huffington Post demonstrates the power of public opinion, as numerous female voices take the opportunity to weigh in on the importance of supporting women and achieving gender equality. Here’s a selection of those voices and ideas:

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton speaks to the continuing need to provide education, health care, jobs, and credit to women around the world, arguing that closing the gender gap is not just a moral imperative but economically viable as well. Yet Clinton clearly recognizes much work remains to be done- across all populations and cultures women continue to bear the brunt of poverty, war, disease, and famine, and continue to hold very few positions of political and social leadership in the developed world.

Queen Noor of Jordan argues it is time Western conventions of Muslim women change. In light of the recent revolutions in the Arab world, those in the West should recognize the repression of the female population is not the result of Islamic principle, but contrary to it.

Eve Ensler, author of the Vagina Monologues, and founder of V-day, pays special tribute to women working on the ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who recently opened the City of Joy, a revolutionary leadership community for survivors of sexual violence. Ensler concludes with a poem, entitled REFUSER dedicated to “all the girls and women joining forces across the earth, to create change and revolution.”

Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children’s Defense Fund, pays tribute to the force of women in leading social change by highlighting the story of the woman who first inspired her: Sojourner Truth. Truth, one of the first black women to ever sue in a court of law and prevail over a white man in American history, persevered through many layers of repression and injustice. For Edelman, women’s “courage to persist for justice,” throughout history makes them the true implementers of change.

Marlo Thomas speaks out on the changing face of the feminist movement. Instead of marching, women now utilize the Internet to mobilize and organize in massive numbers. Where feminism was once confined to the United States, the movement has pushed through national boundaries to all corners of the world. Thomas includes a great photo essay in her column.

Melinda Gates argues that on this day of celebration, it is crucial that we remember to look forward, paving the way for the next generation of reform and social change. For Gates, the most critical issue is improving the health of women and children. To accomplish this, Gates urges continuing ambition and dedication to act.

If you find any of these women and their ideas to be inspirational, take a moment to recognize your own ability to enact change. Don’t underestimate the power of the written, or spoken word. If you have an idea or an opinion, do not hesitate to voice it!

Gail Collins responds to the OpEd Project’s Byline Survey in an Interview with Poytner

As a senior at Barnard College, it was thrilling to see Gail Collins, the Times’ first female editorial page editor and author of two books on women’s history, respond the results of the Byline survey I conducted from October-December 2010. The survey is one of many attempts to identify and understand the absence of women in positions of thought leadership, including this recent study of magazine and review journals from VIDA.

The results of the OpEd Project’s Byline Survey found that legacy print publications such as The New York Times, and The Washington Post tend to feature the fewest female voices, hovering around 15-20%. In an interview with Mallary Jean Tenore on Poynter.org, Collins spoke about the causes behind the opinion page gender gap, and how the New York Times has worked minimize it.

“This is an issue we’ve been struggling with for years,” Collins said. “Back when I was editor, we had several meetings and studies to try to figure out why women’s voices were underrepresented in the Times opinion pages.”

Collins believes the disparity boils down to the fact that “women don’t put their hands up as often as men.” Submissions to the New York Times support her claim: men author an overwhelming majority of unsolicited op-ed pieces and letters to the editor. Other newspapers and media organizations that completed similar surveys, including the Washington Post, found the same results.

Additionally, Collins says that when women do contribute, they tend to focus on issues such as education and children. The data I gathered in the Byline Survey supports this claim. Of all the female-authored op-eds surveyed in both print and online media sources, the majority were on “pink” topics such as female voters, female health issues, and childcare. It seems that even as more women begin to contribute to opinion forums, diversity in expertise is broadening at a slower rate.

The lack of female contributors is not a problem limited to journalism. Opinion forums inform other media and drive policy and thought leadership in every field. Regardless of the causes, the numbers consistently prove change needs to come.

The OpEd Project is working to expand the range of voices submitting. But how can news organizations make a difference from the top down? The Times has now hired a new female op-ed editor, Trish Hall, who just started two weeks ago. It will be interesting to see if this makes a difference for the gender ratio on the Times opinion page in the coming year.

The full text of the interview with Collins can be read here.

Shattering the Glass Ceiling in European Business: A Matter of Economic Recovery

On February 28th, Jerzy Buzek, the president of the European Parliament and Viviane Reding, the vice president of the European Commission and E.U. justice commissioner co-wrote an op-ed in the New York Times, urging the need to close the gender gap in European businesses.

Among European nations, often upheld as the leaders of liberal policies and social equality, the statistics are shocking: only one-in-10 board members in the European Union is a women, and only 3 percent of chief executives are female. According to Reding and Buzek, progress in achieving gender equality in Europe has been incredibly slow: “The share of female board members in the European Union has increased by half a percentage point a year for the last seven years. At this rate, it will take another 50 years to reach a gender balance on company boards.”

As troubling as those numbers are from the perspective of gender equality, Buzek and Reding argue women are the key to ending the economic crisis. In a period of global recession, “human capital is essential to restore Europe’s competitiveness at a global level.”

Citing a study by Goldman Sachs that concluded that closing the gender gap could boost the euro zone’s gross domestic product by up to 13 percent and analysis by the consulting firm McKinsey that found the operational profit of companies with the most women on boards was 56 percent higher than those with men only at the top level, Reding and Buzek argue Europe cannot afford to “leave the talents of half the population behind.”

But the question of how to close this gender gap, and close it rapidly, remains.

Buzek and Reding propose two options. First, to allow the businesses world to work out the proposals for (closely monitored) self-regulatory initiatives to bring women into positions of decision-making. If there is “no credible progress,” Buzek and Reding argue legally binding quota’s, like those introduced effectively in Norway, will be necessary.

In the face of this increasing pressure, one hopes the glass ceiling over the world of European business will begin to crack.

How does the American business sector compare? In New York, the thriving scene of social-entrepreneurial start-ups seems to be led by more equal numbers of men and women. But what of larger corporations? In light of the mortgage-crisis, it is tempting to believe Buzek and Reding’s argument works all too perfectly with the economic situation on this side of the Atlantic.