April 17 is Equal Pay Day

Equal Pay Day is a public awareness event originated to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages. Equal pay day this year is April 17, 2012, which symbolizes the date in 2012 to which women must work to earn the same pay that men earned in 2011. According to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau, in the U.S., women’s annual salaries average just 77% of the salaries of men working in the same professions.

Here in Utah, it’s even worse. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Utah women’s salaries average 69% of those of men. So I guess it’s not equal pay day in Utah yet.

Huh? Wasn’t the Equal Pay Act made law in 1963 – almost 50 years ago? Why is there still such a wage gap?

I found an excellent white paper on The Gender Wage Gap on the Soroptimist International of the Americas web site http://soroptimist.org/. The Gender Wage Gap clarifies that this is a worldwide issue and lists the following five causes of the ongoing disparity.

1. Occupational segregation – women are still segregated into a few low-paying jobs such as sales, clerical and service jobs.

2. Family Life / Work Balance – far more women than men choose to take parental leave to care for children, which can ultimately have a negative effect on their careers.

3. Educational Choices – while women have made significant gains in this area, in some parts of the world equality in education is still far from reality. Additionally, girls are still socialized to choose different subject areas than boys.

4. Asking for Better Jobs and Pay - a portion of the pay divide may be because women expect less and negotiate less pay for themselves than do men.

5. Sadly, the fifth cause is still discrimination. Even after all these years.

Here’s the direct link to the white paper: http://www.soroptimist.org/whitepapers/WhitePaperDocs/WPGenderWageGap.pdf

My thanks to Dayle L. Wallien, J.D., Soroptimist International of Scotts Bluff County, for her article in the Rocky Mountain Region Soroptibits on this topic. Her article included the link to the National Committee on Pay Equity web site: http://www.pay-equity.org/day.html . The banner on the site today is encouraging us to wear red “to symbolize how far women and minorities are in the red with their pay.” I’m wearing red today. Are you?

Soroptimist and Phi Theta Kappa

Phi Theta Kappa is an international honor society for Junior College students.  Membership is by invitation, and invitations are extended to full time students recognized by the faculty for their academic excellence and citizenship.  The Salt Lake Soroptimist Club agreed to pay the Phi Theta Kappa membership dues for a Horizonte Graduate.  We presented Benita the check at a regular meeting with the Horizonte Young Parents Program.

The Phi Theta Kappa chapter at Salt Lake Community College, through our own Nancy Mitchell, requested a Soroptimist to speak at the induction ceremony on April 4, 2012.  This honor fell to me.  

In my 10 minute address, I commended the students for their academic excellence, their leadership, and their service.  I encouraged them to keep striving for academic excellence because it shows caring, confidence and discipline.  I encouraged them to embrace opportunities for leadership and shared the five practices of The Leadership Challenge (Kouzes and Pozner).

• Model the Way
• Inspire a Shared Vision
• Challenge the Process
• Enable Others to Act, and
• Encourage the Heart

I encouraged them to give back through community service.  Wouldn’t it be great, I asked them, if instead of asking “What can I get from life,” everyone asked “What can I give?”

In the end, I hope I was able to impress upon them how far they can go when they consciously choose to live their dream.  Thanks to Phi Theta Kappa, Salt Lake Community College, and my good friend Nancy for this awesome opportunity.

Girl Scouts Turn 100 Today

Today, March 12, 2012, marks the 100^th anniversary of the Girls Scouts of America. 

The story of how Girl Scouting began in the U.S. is the stuff of legend.  Founder Juliette Gordon Low returned from England, where she had been involved with the Girl Guide movement, to her hometown of Savannah, Georgia – with a dream.  “The moment she reached her home in Savannah, she telephoned a friend.  ‘Come right over, Nina,’ she said excitedly. ‘I’ve got something for the girls of Savannah, and all America, and all the world, and we’re going to start it tonight!’”

On March 12, 1912, the first US Girl Guide company was formed in Savannah.  That year the girls voted to change their name from Girl Guides to Girl Scouts.

The quoted text comes from the Junior Girl Scout Handbook – my handbook – published in 1963.  Much has changed in the 50+ years since I was a Girl Scout.  While I impressed my husband-to-be with my ability to tie a clove hitch, today’s Girl Scouts are entering robotics competitions and earning badges in personal finance, web design, and digital filmmaking.    

Soroptimist International’s partnership with the Worldwide Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts was announced at the 2010 SIA Convention held in San Francisco.  This partnership is now extending for the global level into regions and clubs throughout the world.  Girl Scouting started with a dream – and now Girl Scouts are partnering with Soroptimists to help women and girls live their dreams.

Sincere congratulations to the Girl Scouts of America!

Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures

March 8, 2012, marks the 101st anniversary of International Women’s Day, a day which marks the economic, political, and social achievements of women. I am in awe of the women who came together in 1910 – at a time when women did not have the right to vote or to hold public office – to press for this day of recognition.


Per InternationalWomensDay.com, “In 1910, an … International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named a Clara Zetkin (Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women's Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women's clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin's suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women's Day was the result. Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women's Day (IWD) was honored the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.”

In Salt Lake City we are honored to have Former Utah Governor Olene Walker as the keynote speaker for our International Women’s Day luncheon. Ms. Walker was the first, and to date, the only female governor of Utah. We expect to be inspired by her insights. Go to http://www.sislc.org/ for information.

The 2012 theme for International Women’s Day is “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures.” Just think - if every International Women's Day event held in 2012 includes girls in some way, then thousands of minds will be inspired globally. This is especially relevant, as March 12, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Girl Scouts. More about the Girl Scouts in a near-future post.

Wear Red for Women’s Heart Health

Friday, February 3, is National Wear Red Day. Put on your red shirt, your red sweater, or, if it’s casual Friday where you work, your red hoodie – but wear red! Friday is the day we call attention to women’s heart health.

Did you know? Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in women worldwide, causing 8.6 million deaths annually? In the United States, heart disease and stroke cause nearly twice as many deaths for women than those caused by all cancers combined, including breast cancer.

Did you know? Women’s Heart Disease is not as predictable as men’s.
Research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicates that women often experience new or different physical symptoms as long as a month or more before experiencing heart attacks. Surprisingly, fewer than 30% reported having chest pain or discomfort prior to their heart attacks, and 43% reported have no chest pain during any phase of the attack. According to NIH research, women's major symptoms prior to heart attack include unusual fatigue, sleep disturbance, shortness of breath, indigestion, and anxiety. Major symptoms during the heart attack include shortness of breath, weakness, unusual fatigue, cold sweat and dizziness.

If you have any of these signs, don’t wait more than five minutes before calling for help. Call 9-1-1...Get to a hospital right away.

Learn More! Go to http://www.goredforwomen.org/index.aspx for lifestyle tips that can keep your heart healthy.

Soroptimists Stop Trafficking

Soroptimist International of Salt Lake recognizes today, January 11, as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.


In establishing this day, the U.S. Senate acknowledged that the techniques used by traffickers to keep their victims enslaved severely limits self-reporting, thereby acknowledging the imperative for increased public awareness and advocacy on behalf of the voiceless women and girls being held captive.

Statistics

• Human rights groups estimate that anywhere from 12.3 to 27 million people are currently living as slaves.

• The UN estimates the total market value of exploitation of humans to be $32 billion, with about $10 billion from the initial sale of individuals.

• Each year, between 800,000 and 900,000 people are trafficked across international borders.

• 75 percent of those trafficked are trafficked into the commercial sex industry.

• 80 percent of trafficking victims are women and children trafficked for sexual exploitation

Soroptimist Website

The Soroptimist website at www.soroptimist.org provides an abundance of information about sexual trafficking and what individuals can do to stop it. Information includes a white paper on sexual trafficking, frequently asked questions, and a document called “What I Can Do to Stop Sexual Slavery.”

Change for a Dollar

A dear Soroptimist friend of more than 20 years sent me the link to a short film, written and directed by Sharon Wright, titled Change for a Dollar. As I watched the film, tears filled my eyes multiple times as a homeless man made a difference the lives of several people – with less than a dollar.


http://www.flickspire.com/m/Share_This/changeforadollar?lsid=161f9da9b7692b6854ca64548e80ab61

I was not surprised that the woman who sent this wonderfully inspiring video to me is a Soroptimist. As Soroptimists, we work hard to make a difference in the lives of women and girls, and we are fortunate enough to have resources available to do this work. Yet even without significant financial resources, people can – and do – make a difference for the good in the lives of others.

“We can do no great things; only small things with great love”

Mother Teresa

As we approach a new year, let us gratefully continue to do the small things that make a difference. Happy New Year!