Every month at Equity we meet with our Equity Trust, a board comprised of community members from Norman, OKC, and Tulsa. On this board we discuss issues relating to equity, brainstorm with our community members, and check in on how we’re doing as a business in living up to our values. Our meetings open with ‘the work’, our monthly lesson and discussion on a topic inherent to equity. Because March is Women’s History Month, it’s only fitting that our work was centered on the gender pay gap. We opened with this video of Michelle Williams giving her Emmy acceptance speech:
In it she talks about how she was trusted by production on Fosse/Verdon, the biographical limited series on the relationship between Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon released on FX in 2019, to ‘do her job’. Meaning she got the things she asked for, was listened to and respected in the process, and was paid equitably for her outstanding work. This is unfamiliar for most women in this country, and certainly for those in the arts and entertainment industry. But, Williams argues that it is absolutely essential, and of course she’s right. To allow women to achieve success because of their work environment and not in spite of it is the ultimate goal.
After watching this video with the group we move into a discussion filled with relevant personal anecdotes, much needed vents of frustration, and statistics that should make anyone cringe. If you don’t know, this year’s Equal Pay Day, the day in 2022 that marks when women would make as much as their male counterparts in 2021, was on March 15. But, this date was only for white women. Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Women’s Equal Pay Day is May 3rd, Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is September 21, Native Women’s Equal Pay Day is November 30, and Latinx Women’s Equal Pay Day is December 8. That’s right. It takes over 1 1/2 years for WOC to make the amount their white male counterpart would make in 2021 alone, and for Native and Latinx women it’s almost a full two years.
The reality of pay inequity is just one of the injustices women everywhere face every day, which is why conversations like these sparked by high profile women like Michelle Williams are of the utmost importance. For more resources and education on pay inequity, please see the links below and keep the conversation going!
Books:
The Fix: Overcome the Invisible Barriers That Are Holding Women Back at Work
In this fascinating and empowering book, King outlines the invisible barriers that hold women back at all stages of their careers, and provides readers with a clear set of takeaways to thrive despite the sexist workplace, as they fight for change from within. Gender equality is not about women, and it is not about men—it is about making workplaces work for everyone. Together, we can fix work, not women.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)
Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work
In this urgent and rousing call to arms, Reshma Saujani dismantles the myth of “having it all” and lifts the burden we place on individual women to be primary caregivers, and to work around a system built for and by men. The time has come, she argues, for innovative corporate leadership, government intervention, and sweeping culture shift; it’s time to Pay Up.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)
Equal: A Story of Women, Men, & Money
Equal is the inside story of how award-winning journalist Carrie Gracie challenged unequal pay at the BBC, alongside a wider investigation into why men and women are still paid unequally. It's a book that will open your eyes, fix your resolve and give you the tools to act - and act now.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)
Articles:
