Well that was disappointing.
Senate Republicans have been blocking the Paycheck Fairness Act since it was first introduced in the late ’90s and Democratic control of the White House and (barely) Congress was once again no match for the GOP’s will to kill the bill. The proposed legislation would require companies to prove that pay differences between men and women are not based on gender and would enact harsh penalties for violations, a key component missing in the Equal Pay Act of 1963. Someone remind us what, exactly, is controversial about equal pay??? Ughs. Try, try again…
News to note 📝
“Since the start of the pandemic, employees have felt as if online environments are the Wild West, where traditional rules do not apply.” Somewhat counterintuitively, the transition to remote work has not resulted in fewer incidents of workplace harassment; 25 percent of workers surveyed reported increased gender-based harassment. [NYT]
The story of how two reporters broke the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault and harassment bombshell is coming to the silver screen. The investigative work of New York Times’ reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, which helped kick off the #MeToo movement, is getting the Hollywood treatment, with actors Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan set to star. [Variety]
Goldman Sachs does a 180, agrees to a shareholder proposal aimed at pulling back the veil of secrecy surrounding harassment allegations. Media personality Gretchen Carlson, who sued Fox and its then-CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment in 2016, publicly backed the proposal, which initially failed. The bank, which is embroiled in one of Wall Street’s biggest class-action gender bias cases, reversed course and agreed to a report on how its mandatory arbitration policy affects the workplace. [Bloomberg]
These PR powerbrokers are the reason you know about a lot of bad bosses. Ariella Steinhorn and Amber Scorah run Lioness, a media relations firm specializing in helping employees looking to go public with their stories of workplace mistreatment. An investigation into racism at popular beauty brand Glossier and the allegedly toxic culture at startup Better.com are among the stories they’ve seeded. Lioness provides its services for free to individuals speaking out. [NYT]
Are returnships, programs aimed at bringing caretakers back into the workforce, en vogue again? Boss Betty reported on returnships being all the rage again in 2019, but the flames fanning that resurrection seemed to turn quickly to ash, so we’re psyched to see this concept (maybe?) regaining steam: Amazon will bring up to 1,000 women back into the workforce with its paid return-to-work training program. [Fortune]
The mining ⛏ industry is one of the most male-dominated despite recent efforts; women workers are put off by the macho culture and lack of flexibility. Companies in the business of extracting natural resources from the earth have tried to balance their mostly male workforces with tactics including apprenticeships, direct recruiting and adjustable work hours, but women still see the structural barriers as too high. [WSJ]
Numbers to know 🔢
64 million Number of women globally who have lost their jobs during the pandemic. Women’s jobs are almost two times more vulnerable than men’s, according to a statement released by the London School of Economics.
$12,700 Wage gap between Black and white women. Structural racism and sexism continue to create educational and professional barriers to Black women, driving income inequality.
38% Portion of board seats at Fortune 500 companies held by women and minorities in 2020. White women saw the biggest gains. BTW, 0% of those boards are close to representative of the country’s actual demographics.
1.9% Percentage of tenured faculty at universities that are Black women. This stat is relevant as the University of North Carolina grapples with fallout from its initial decision not to confer tenure status on Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, who is Black, after pushback from conservatives.
And, in closing, a quote to think on
“From accepting gender pay gaps to neglecting childcare, governments have not prioritised their [women’s] needs. The result is a feeble, patchwork economic infrastructure”
