Recently in Work Category

Hanaa Rifaey doesn't sleep much. I'll let her explain why. But the next time you find yourself pissed at another policy done wrong, know that Hanaa is on it. And you can be, too. Even if it's a small step, it'll add up.

Here's Hanaa...

Great news! For an idea of just how important this legislation is, watch Rep. Barbara Lee:

"The wage gap is most severe for women of color. It's absolutely inexcusable that women, and especially minority women earn a fraction of what men earn from the same job. African-American women earn just 63 cents on the dollar and Latinas earn far worse at 57 cents... The wide disparity begins at the start of a woman's work life and grows wider as women age. In the long-term, combined with the decrease in pension income and social security benefits, which is what happens, many women are at risk of falling into poverty as they get older because this disparity began when they first started working. H.R. 1338 takes immediate steps to close the wage gap for all women by amending and strengthening the Equal Pay Act..."

Bush is sure to veto. But let's savor this little victory.

Related:
Ask your senator to vote for fair pay
Blog for Fair Pay Day: Ask for it!
John McCain supports wage discrimination
Obama on women and work
Women college grads earn less than men
WaPo: Wage gap is "A Bargain At 77 Cents To a Dollar"

Yesterday the House held a hearing on sexual assault in the military, a topic we've written on repeatedly. Not just the insanely and disturbingly high rates of sexual assault, but the effect is has on female vets.

Rep. Louise Slaughter reintroduced the Military Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Act, which would establish an Office of Victims Advocate within the Department of Defense and hopefully improve efforts to respond to cases of sexual violence and harassment in the military.

At the hearing, sexual assault survivor Ingrid Torres testified. What an incredibly brave woman:

"The road after sexual assault is a long and challenging one. As is typical of violent crime, I suffer from PTSD, violent nightmares, and depression. I still wake in the night, he still comes after me in my dreams... Because of the impending courts martial, I was advised not to talk openly about the case, which caused rumors and misconceptions to run rampant. There was no escaping it and no making it better. The hostility grew with my silence...Ultimately, our society still publicly and privately tries the victims in sexual assault cases. Rape is the only crime where the victim has to prove their innocence."

RH Reality Check has more.

In other congressional news, yesterday the House passed the Paycheck Fairness Act. Bush has vowed to veto the legislation. Because he likes making $1 to your 76 cents, dammit.

Judith Warner at The New York Times writes about Congress' new report, "Equality in Job Loss: Women are Increasingly Vulnerable to Layoffs During Recessions," and says,

Women left the workforce when the cost of child care ate up their entire after-tax salaries, or when family-unfriendly workplaces pushed them out. Or when, like women without children or men with and without children, they were laid off in a bad economy.

But these naysaying voices have been largely shouting in the wind. No one has really wanted to hear that the much-vaunted new "choices" weren't really choices at all. No one's been scouring obscure academic journals for the real skinny on women's progress. No one's been too eager to embrace grim facts over more-glorious fictions.

Make sure to check it out...

According to the NYTimes yesterday, women are now being hit as hard as men by a lack of jobs. This is not a new phenomenon but I understand what the article is getting at. It has gotten very competitive for the jobs that remain and an inability to find sustainable work has forced women into alternatives. This is in direct contrast to the idea of the "opt-out" revolution as some have termed it. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women aren't working because there aren't enough jobs.

When economists first started noticing this trend two or three years ago, many suggested that the pullback from paid employment was a matter of the women themselves deciding to stay home -- to raise children or because their husbands were doing well or because, more than men, they felt committed to running their households.

But now, a different explanation is turning up in government data, in the research of a few economists and in a Congressional study, to be released Tuesday, that follows the women's story through the end of 2007.

After moving into virtually every occupation, women are being afflicted on a large scale by the same troubles as men: downturns, layoffs, outsourcing, stagnant wages or the discouraging prospect of an outright pay cut. And they are responding as men have, by dropping out or disappearing for a while.

The excuse for men is not usually that they have chosen to stay home, it is that they can't find work, whereas for women the explanation has always been she chose to stay home, not that she couldn't find a job.

For working class families the luxury of a stay at home mom has never been an option. It has in the past been an oversight of the women's movement that women merely want to enter the workforce because they have a right to. It is often that they need to.

Via.

This is just horrid. Via ShAARP Session:

"Whoever thought 20 plus years of experience would be a liability?" questions experienced film reporter Lisa Johnson Mandell in this morning's TODAY show segment on "De-Aging Your Resume."

So what exactly is it that folks should do to downplay years of valuable experience? According to TODAY show contributor Jean Chatzky, "For women, shorten your skirts a little bit. Cover your grays."

Lovely.

via Dana, today Obama appeared in New York with Hillary Clinton, and delivered a speech on women and work. He said:

But let's be clear: these issues - equal pay, work/family balance, childcare - these are by no means just women's issues. When a job doesn't offer family leave, that also hurts men who want to help care for a new baby or an ailing parent. When there's no affordable childcare or afterschool programs, that hurts children who wind up in second rate care, or spending afternoons alone in front of the TV. When women still make just 77 cents for every dollar men make - black and Latina women even less - that doesn't just hurt women, it hurts families who find themselves with less income, and have to work even harder just to get by.

So you'd think solving these problems would be one of our highest national priorities. But while some politicians in Washington make a lot of noise about family values, when it comes to what people actually need to support their families, and care for their families, and spend time with their families - they get awfully quiet, don't they? And year after year, it just gets harder for working parents - especially working women - to make a living while raising their kids.

We take it for granted that women are the backbone of our families, but we too often ignore the fact that women are also the backbone of our middle class. And we won't truly have an economy that puts the needs of the middle class first until we ensure that when it comes to pay and benefits at work, women are treated like the equal partners they are.

Despite his recent missteps on choice, Obama also took the opportunity to restate his support for Roe, but in a fairly general way. He didn't address his statements on late-term abortions. (And speaking of those statements, be sure to check out Lynda Waddington's note to Obama about what he should understand before calling for the removal of mental-health exceptions to abortion bans.) Later today Obama will be in Virginia, talking more about women and the economy.

Meanwhile, McCain's attempting to woo the ladies this week, too, with an event planned for tomorrow. I'm guessing he'll take this opportunity to highlight his support for companies' decisions to discriminate against women and people of color, discuss how he's deeply anti-choice, and throw in a few wife-beating jokes for good measure.

Yet another reason I'm proud to be a New Yorker.

Of the top five women executives in New York State, their businesses consist not of fashion or a perfume line, but of cars, computers, electronics, construction and envelopes.

Hotness.

h/t to MAC.

Betsy Perry has a vacuous rant about flirting in the workplace up over at TheStreet.com that will make your feminist head spin. It’s not only misogynistic (apparently all women talk about is “anorexia, the latest under eye concealer, and J. Sisters bikini wax techniques"), but grossly reinforces traditional definitions of beauty (“The overweight young woman whose bra straps always showed, and who had the unfortunate habit of burping out loud, lasted minutes before being moved quickly to another floor”), and basically suggests that “the male gaze”—that great women’s studies term for feeling watched and judged constantly—is women’s only source of pleasure in their own appearance: “What’s the fun in getting dressed up for work if no one’s around to appreciate the gold-flecked body powder you’ve tossed down your cleavage?”

Ugh. Perry delights in alleging that Bill Clinton touched her breast, relives her good ol' sexual harassment days, and wonders why girls today can't own up to the fact that flirting in the workplace is a great way to get ahead.

What makes all of this so sad is that Perry obviously has some really important stories to tell about what it was like to work in the male-dominated journalism business back in the day. There’s no question she’s been sexually harassed and forced to be a chameleon in order to “get the story.” Why couldn’t she have communicated these critical tidbits without devolving into various forms of unexamined hatred (for self and, well, all women)?

Flirting, in the workplace and elsewhere, is certainly fun, but it isn't a career strategy for men or women. I'd personally like to be known for my intelligence and dedication, not my tits. If I enjoy some consensual flirting in work atmospheres, that's cool, but its not going on my CV.

The ending is really the nail in the coffin: “Not unlike a geisha, leave your flip-flops at the door and step into those Jimmy Choos—a sexy gait is worth a little hamstring ache in the long run, don’t you think?”

Wow, where do I start? Maybe Perry should read up on geisha culture before referencing it willy nilly. On the other hand, I guess the parallel makes some sense. Just as many geisha’s were sold as children to geisha houses, and forced to clean up after other people as their first stage of training, Perry is advocating selling out and putting up with men’s shit in the workplace as a way to get ahead.

Perhaps Perry is our best, newest example of internalized oppression. She’s been made to feel like women suck for so long that she actually believes it. I just wish she could spend a couple of hours with the feministing community to see what she’s been missing.

We don't tend to be all that big business-minded here at feministing, I assume because none of us work in that environment, but we certainly care about how women are faring in the corporate workplace. Jessica Wakeman has a good piece up on Wall Street and the women who struggle there at TheStreet.com. An excerpt:

...the lack of women in the executive suite is still jarring. They may make up 46% of the workforce, but women held only 15.4% of Fortune 500 corporate officer positions in 2007, according to Catalyst, a non-profit that studies women’s advancement in business. That percentage is an increase from 1997, when women only had 10.6% of such positions, but clearly the boardrooms in the U.S. skew mostly male. According to Gail Evans, former executive vice president of CNN (TWC) and author of the book Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman. 'There’s so few women [that] when one of them gets fired [from an executive position], the percentage drops 10 percent.'

Check the whole thing out here.

Image from Catalyst.

Photo of Diane DiMassa by Love Alban

Photo of Cristy C. Road by Amos Mac

Diane DiMassa and Cristy C. Road are contributors of the new anthology, Live Through This. Edited by Sabrina Chapadjiev, Live Through This is a collection of original stories, essays, artwork and photography that explore the use of art to survive many of life's lows, traumas and struggles. Both illustrated and contributed real-life personal pieces to the anthology.

Diane DiMassa is best known as the creator of the comic heroine Hothead Paisan, Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist. She recently illustrated a graphic novel written by Daphne Gottlieb called Jokes and the Unconscious, and regularly contributes to anthologies.

Cristy C. Road's works and publications include the punk rock zine, Greenzine; illustrated storybook, Indestructable; a series of illustrated novels based on filmmaker Esther Bell's upcoming film, Flaming Heterosexual Female; and is currently working on Bad Habits, an illustrated love story.

Here are Diane and Cristy...

I know this won't come as a shock to all you feminists, but relationships that don't hew to traditional gender roles are more equal.

Notably, same-sex relationships, whether between men or women, were far more egalitarian than heterosexual ones. In heterosexual couples, women did far more of the housework; men were more likely to have the financial responsibility; and men were more likely to initiate sex, while women were more likely to refuse it or to start a conversation about problems in the relationship. With same-sex couples, of course, none of these dichotomies were possible, and the partners tended to share the burdens far more equally.

While the gay and lesbian couples had about the same rate of conflict as the heterosexual ones, they appeared to have more relationship satisfaction, suggesting that the inequality of opposite-sex relationships can take a toll.

We've written a lot about research that shows unequal opposite-sex relationships "can take a toll" -- mostly on women, who are still stuck with the bulk of the housework. So it's understandable that, in a relationship where neither partner is socially "marked" as the one responsible for housework, things would be more equitable on that front.

Beyond the housework example, I thought the article was going to veer into "all women resolve conflict, and all men avoid it, therefore gay couples don't fight" territory. But I was pleasantly surprised. It's more about how couples interact within their relationship -- not necessarily about the gender of the individuals involved. I was relieved to see one of the researchers quoted as saying, "“Like everybody else, I thought this was male behavior and female behavior, but it’s not."

Of course, the overall frame for the article -- that same-sex couples are more equitable and therefore happier -- is a generalization. There are egalitarian hetero relationships. There are queer relationships where gender roles come into play. The take-away lesson should simply be that with more equality -- and with some breathing room from society's expectations for our gender -- we're all a lot happier in relationships.

Huh?

The head of a New York law firm which prides itself as "dedicated to the empowerment of women in the workplace" is being sued for sexual harassment. You just have to love the first line in this article:

A top New York attorney known for representing women in sexual harassment cases is a chauvinist with genital piercings, a lawsuit alleges.

Not just a chauvinist, but with genital piercings. For shame! (Sarcasm included)

A study by Salary.com shows that if women who stayed at home to care for their families were financially compensated, they'd be making almost $117,000 a year.

The eighth annual survey calculated a mom's market value by studying pay levels for 10 job titles with duties that a typical mom performs, ranging from housekeeper and day care center teacher to van driver, psychologist and chief executive officer.

This year, the annual salary for a stay-at-home mom would be $116,805, while a working mom who also juggles an outside job would get $68,405 for her motherly duties.

One mother interviewed for the story, Samantha Russell from New Hampshire, said, "The rewards aren't monetary, but it's a reward knowing that they're safe and happy...It's worth it all."

Frankly, I'd prefer the cash.

I used to think these studies (that usually come out around Mother's Day) were cool - they showed that women's work in the informal economy was worth something. But more recently, it almost seems insulting. As if women who contribute at home get a once-a-year chance to brag about how much they're worth - and then it's back to cleaning up socks with no compensation. Am I just jaded?

Many of the people I know (including myself) have found jobs through idealist.org. Have you? It's a pretty great job source for the non-profit sector, and this month they are opening up their site to free job posts.

From Ami Dar, Executive Director:

Here is the story. Posting a job on Idealist usually costs $60 (we are a nonprofit ourselves, and this small fee keeps us afloat) but starting today, and through the end of June, all job postings on Idealist are free for any nonprofit organization.

We are doing this so that any organization can try us at no cost, and our ultimate goal is to bring you every nonprofit job that's open around the country (as well as internships and volunteer opportunities, which are always free).

Judy Norsigian is co-founder of the Boston Women's Health Book Collective and co-author of the ground breaking Our Bodies, Ourselves published in 1970. Since its publication, women's groups around the world have developed cultural adaptations of, or other publications inspired by, Our Bodies, Ourselves. Most recently, women's groups in Albania, Russia, South Korea, and Tibet have produced new publications in book and other formats. Judy is also the co-author of Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause and most recently, Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth. Check out the Our Bodies, Ourselves blog when you can: http://ourbodiesourblog.org/

Judy speaks and writes frequently on a wide range of women's health concerns, including abortion and contraception, sexually transmitted infections, genetics and reproductive technologies, tobacco and women, women and health care reform, and midwifery advocacy.

Here's Judy...

From a recent performance at The Whitney Biennial. Photo by Eduardo Aparicio.

Coco Fusco is a New York-based interdisciplinary artist and writer. She is the author of English is Broken Here: Notes on Cultural Fusion in the Americas, and editor of Corpus Delecti: Performance Art of the Americas, and Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions of the American Self (with Brian Wallis). Her work on military interrogation was selected for the 2008 Whitney Biennial.

"In the guise of a CIA manual, Coco Fusco's provocative A Field Guide for Female Interrogators offers an unflinching look at women's role in the military and at America's use of torture in the War on Terror"-- (from the book's back cover copy).

Here's Coco...

I added an update to my post on Wednesday about the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act -- noting that Senate Republicans blocked the bill from passing. John McCain wasn't there for the vote, but he opposed the legislation: (via Scott)

"I am all in favor of pay equity for women, but this kind of legislation, as is typical of what's being proposed by my friends on the other side of the aisle, opens us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems," McCain told reporters yesterday. "This is government playing a much, much greater role in the business of a private enterprise system."

To summarize: McCain's not against women and people of color being paid the same as white men for doing the same work -- heck, if businesses want to pay fairly, that's great! -- but he doesn't think we should make businesses do so. And not holding businesses accountable for wage discrimination is the same thing as endorsing it.

In my interview with Lilly Ledbetter, she actually responded to McCain's position on the legislation:

We've had a lot of opposition that said this would just open up a multitude of lawsuits, and it would be tough on corporations to fight these cases. But that's not true. If a person or individual thinks they have a case, they can't even go to EEOC unless they have proof. You can't just waltz into EEOC.

Right. It's not exactly like it was easy for Ledbetter -- and others in her situation -- to prove they were discriminated against. In fact, there are some very high barriers to getting the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to recognize your complaint as valid.

So the "I hate lawsuits" defense is bullshit. McCain is really saying that he values the rights of corporations over the rights of women and people of color who work for them. Thanks, buddy.

On Monday I talked to Lilly Ledbetter, a truly awesome woman who sued her employer, Goodyear Tire, for paying her less than her male coworkers for year after year. As you may recall, the Supreme Court ruled last year that, because Ledbetter did not file a complaint within 180 days of her first paycheck. Nevermind that she didn't find out about the pay disparity until nearly 20 years later.

Well, Congress is considering legislation that would undo the damage the Supreme Court has done. The Senate is voting on the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act at 6pm EDT tonight! So call your Senater now and ask for a YES vote.

Here a taste of my conversation with Lilly:

What do you say to people who claim that the wage gap is not due to discrimination, it's just that women choose lower-paid work and drop out of the work force to raise children?

No! No, no, no, no. I have had my eyes opened up a great deal being involved in this. I filed my charge in 1998; I've been working with this situation since that time. I have correspondence [from people in similar situations] from all over the United States. I was born and reared in Alabama, and I thought this was just a Southern problem. But it's not -- it's a national problem. It doesn't only affect line workers like I was but professional people like doctors and university professors. It's not right, and it's high time for women to be paid equal.

In my case, the money I should have been compensated hurt me, because my retirement was based on what I earned. So that was much lower. I'm like a second-class citizen for the rest of my life. I will never be compensated for my lower wages and my pension, and Social Security wages are much lower, because Goodyear paid me less.

But if I can help support and get this bill passed for others, for all discrimination protection, it'll help our daughters, our granddaughters in the future. And I am so grateful the bill has already passed the House, and I'm hoping it'll pass the Senate.

She told me her 70th birthday was last week, and the best birthday present would be to see this legislation pass.

Here she is on video:

Also check out some Blog for Fair Pay action.

UPDATE: The bill failed to get enough votes for a floor vote. Thanks, Republicans! Doesn't mean the legislation is dead, but it certainly didn't pass tonight.

A UK-wide survey finds that 76 percent of employers said that they would not hire a woman if they knew she were going to become pregnant within six months of starting her employment. More findings:

52 per cent will weigh up the chances of a candidate getting pregnant, taking into account age and whether they have just got married (although asking that direct question to an interviewee is not allowed).

68 per cent of employers would like more rights to quiz candidates about their plans for a family.

Depressing and infuriating. Check out NAPW's Guide to Pregnancy Discrimination in Employment for more information on pregnancy discrimination at work.

Martha Ma is a food and media educator and producer, community chef and health counselor. She is the host and producer of "The Tasty Life," a bi-weekly television show on Manhattan Public Access channel 57, and the editor of the e-newsletter, "Eater's Digest."

Martha is also executive producer of the Food for Thought Film Festival. If you're in the NYC area this weekend, check out the last weekend of the festival at Cooper Union's Wollman Auditorium, 51 Astor Place at Third Ave. Feature films include King Corn, Black Gold, and Life and Debt. Shorts include The Meatrix I, II and II 1/2 and The True Cost of Food.

Here's Martha...

Almost exactly a year ago, we wrote about Ledbetter v. Goodyear, the Supreme Court's decision to limit workers' ability to sue their employers based on gender and other forms of discrimination. This is a big deal because:

• Women are paid only 77 cents for every dollar paid to men.
• African-American women are paid 63 cents for every dollar paid to white men.
• Latinas are paid 52 cents for every dollar paid to white men.

That's not ok. Luckily Congress is considering legislation that would reverse the effects of the Court's anti-woman decision in Ledbetter, so please take a few minutes and ask your Senators to pass the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

Seeking big-picture answers to wage discrimination is important. I am completely aware that women earn less than men for a whole host of systemic reasons. But this is a great opportunity to share some practical tips for women who aren't getting paid what they deserve, and to empower them to act on their own behalf. (Lord knows it's faster than waiting for Congress to help you out.) So I did a little vlogging on the subject:

(I'm not an expert or anything, so please post your own tips in comments. Also, I realize this advice is mostly geared to the 9-to-5 office-type gals among us, but hopefully it'll have some usefulness for those of you who work in other environments, too…)

If you don't want to watch 5 minutes of my "likes" and "ums," what I said is available in convenient bulleted-list form, after the jump…

Tomorrow we'll be participating in Blog for Fair Pay for Women day. You should, too! Head over to the National Women's Law Center to sign up.

Today a friend sent me this article, about how testosterone affects investment bankers and traders, which "could eventually compromise their ability to make rational decisions, as the traders take bigger and bigger risks during so-called 'bubbles.'" (Having read so many junk science articles, I'm skeptical. But here's an interview with the study's author, who seems to support the BBC's portrayal of his research.)

I found it especially interesting because I picked up a copy of Conde Nast Portfolio -- not a magazine I typically read -- in an airport last week, mostly because of the cover:

Given that cover image I was prepared for some piece about how those girly women in their red stiletto mary janes just can't cut it on Wall Street. You know, it's all their estrogen and "emotional intelligence." So imagine my surprise when I opened the magazine and found this:

Sara Fajardo is a staff photographer at the Orlando Sentinel. Her photojournalism journey has taken her to many places, from local places in the States to covering the rise and fall of president Alberto Fujimori in Peru. You can see some of her photos at her website: http://sarafajardo.com/.

She's also the author of a children's nonfiction book, Enrique's Day: From Dawn to Dusk in a Peruvian City.

Here's Sara...

This is vile.

Now that Senator David Vitter is likely to get a pass for this past summer's scandal with having a connection to the "D.C. Madam" prostitution ring, prosecutors are having their day in court with D.C. Madam and 15 other women who worked with her in a pointless , slut-shaming witch hunt.

Prosecutors are making the women recount sexual experiences with their clients, condescendingly poking and prodding into personal and irrelevant details. Prosecutor Catherine Connelly even asked DC Madam:

'Did you specifically discuss what happened when you went in the shower?' the prosecutor wanted to know.

The witness explained, 'I was having sex.'

'What would happen if you were menstruating?' Connelly asked.

Because a lady's bleeding has everything to do with money laundering! For this, women's careers will be ruined; a young naval officer on the stand yesterday was put on leave from the navy after being forced to talk about when she was "aggressive" or "submissive" with a client.

And this is just the beginning. Over 100 other previous sex workers will also be publicly named.

We all know who should really be ashamed here.

From The New York Times: "New Jersey moved another step closer on Monday to becoming the third state in the country to give employees the right to take paid leave to care for a newborn or a sick relative."

For more information on why paid leave for new parents is so important, check out Moms Rising.

Allison Kilkenny describes herself as "a political humorist, a fancy way of saying writer, who makes shitty world news funny." She is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, The Beast, Alternet.org's Wiretap Magazine, and Timothy McSweeney's. Her work has appeared on The Nation and SIRIUS radio.

Here's Allison Kilkenny...

Sexism, racist stereotypes, general assholery - it's all here folks.

Thanks to nursing student Sara for passing this along, who was just as appalled as we were. Regarding the actual story, it looks like the nurses are rightfully pressing charges against the clinic. The Chair of the Nurses Working Committee said, "We feel like ornaments in the skirts. We don't have freedom of movement and can't bend over to tend to patients. We are made to expose our bodies to do our work." Let's hope they get justice.

BBC news reports on Dr Brian McKinstry's recent article in the British Medical Journal where he expresses his concern over the increase of women doctors in the UK.

There are now more women in medical school than men in the UK, and McKinstry finds this alarming, largely because women are taking up more primary care positions rather than becoming surgeons. He says they also tend to go part-time more often.

He proceeds to discuss the "feminisation of primary care," (grrr) and spews off a list of reasons why women in primary care are problematic, like how women with children print fewer publications than men with children, which in part effects the "education, research and development" of the field. Also, women spend more time with patients than male doctors - the horror!

While the doctor acknowledges past inequalities of women entering the medical field, the general tone of the article seemed sexist and holier-than-thou. After his note of women doctors spending more time with patients, he says, "Empathy and communication skills are important, but so are efficiency and the ability to live with risk." I didn't know that spending more time with patients to make sure they're correctly diagnosed and treated was just about the empathy; I would say those are the better doctors, no question. And to turn it into the stereotype of women as caregivers and "good communicators" is a cheap shot.

In the BBC article, Dr Steve Field, chair of the Royal College of GPs, also questioned the selection process when it comes to medical school entry:

"[H]e added that there were concerns over the fact that girls tended to do better in the interview process for medical school at age 18. 'I'm concerned about how we select into medical school as it seems to be more difficult for boys post A-level.' "

So of course something has else rather than competency has to be going on if women are doing better than men in their interviews. Those 18 year old hussies!

All I can say is that I was glad to see a rebuttal of McKinstry's contention; check it out. Do any UK readers with more knowledge want to weigh in on this?

Check out Deborah Siegel and I chatting it up about things like "entitlement," mentoring etc. over at The New York Times blog, Shifting Careers.

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, complaints of pregnancy discrimination hiked up by 14% between 2006 and 2007. There has been a 40% increase over the last decade, reports the National Partnership for Women and Families.

The Wall Street Journal suggests that this is party because women are increasingly working later into their pregnancies, including new advocacy being created for pregnant women and women with children.

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act can't straight up protect women from being fired or not hired, but if they're singled out based on their pregnancy, they're liable to take action. And unfortunately, the Family and Medical Leave Act poses a problem: while unpaid maternity leave is required, it doesn't doesn't require paid maternity leave. (California and Washington are exceptions.)

Regardless, it's good to see women taking more action on pregnancy discrimination; we're getting closer to accurate numbers on how prevalent it really is in the U.S. and maybe, just maybe, our family-friendly policies will someday get friendlier. Check out MomsRising and the National Advocates for Pregnant Women has a great list of more resources about pregnant women and mother's rights at work.

Deborah Brenner is the author of Women of the Vine and proprietor of Women of the Vine Cellars. While writing the book, Deborah and winemaker, Signe Zoller met and teamed up in 2006 to launch a first-of-its-kind wine company; bottled and produced by Women of the Vine Cellars.

From 2002-2005, Deborah ran her own marketing and public relations firm, SmallFishBigPond, and worked with such companies as Cinecitta Studios of Rome, Quantel, NBC and CNBC. Prior to that, Ms. Brenner spent over 16 years working in the film, television and the post production industries and was involved in four technology startups.

Here's Deborah...

In the wake of Spitzer's resignation there's been a ton of commentary (feminist and otherwise) about prostitution, trafficking, legalization, and a host of other related issues. I've been out of town and haven't found time to write a substantive post on the subject, but I've been reading a lot of interesting things 'round the internet:

First up, check out Nicholas Kristof's column from Sunday's Times: Kristen's story is "a dangerously unrepresentative glimpse of prostitution in America. Those who work with street prostitutes say that what they see daily is pimps who control teenage girls with violence and threats — plus an emotional bond — and then keep every penny the girl is paid."

Amanda forges ahead and opens what we all know can be a huge can o' worms for a sex-positive feminist: "But when degradation and harm are the work itself, struggling over labor standards becomes confusing. ... Which is why I tear my hair out at the people who focus on the exceptions, like Kerry Howley arguing that prostitution is about women who love sex so much they want to make it a career. That sort of argument serves only one purpose—to shame people with serious questions about prostitution into not asking those questions for fear we’ll be labeled as prudes. Well, I’m not taking the bait."

Safe to say Twisty's against decriminalization: "Note that the goal is merely to curb the male appetite for trafficked women. The message? Pay-for-rapists are here to stay! It is unfathomable that human society could exist entirely without a subclass of sex slaves." UPDATE: Twisty has a clarification.

Brad Plumer looks at what happened in Nevada and Sweden when they decriminalized prostitution: "[O]ur currently policies are grotesque, but honestly, I don't know what the ideal alternative is. I'd lean toward legalize-and-regulate as the least-bad option, although the idea of providing generous support for women who want to get out of the sex trade sounds like the best idea on offer. But if Sweden can barely manage it, good luck putting anything like that in place in the United States."

...and dnA has more thoughts on legalization.

The Sex Workers Project says: "To focus solely on the salacious scandal created by Mr. Spitzer’s alleged actions without attention to the realities and needs of sex workers does nothing to provide solutions for sex workers."

Jill takes on conservative John Derbyshire, who actually wrote that: "To a lover of liberty, it’s hard to see why a woman shouldn’t sell her favors if she wants to. Trouble is, weak or dimwitted women end up in near-slavery to unscrupulous men, and I think there’s a legitimate public interest in not letting that happen." Yeah, you read that right: "weak or dimwitted women."

Jill also points out that there is not an inherent contradiction in being a sex worker and a feminist.

What have y'all been reading/writing about this issue? I'd love to see more links in comments.

A report out of the UK says that women without children are most likely to do unpaid overtime.

Note: I recognize that the headline is misleading - after all, there are not-young women without children! But that's the one the BBC went with. Thoughts?

Miki Fujiwara, aka Urban Envy, is a self-employed visual artist/community activist based in New York City.

Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Miki is known to be one of the original members of the New York Tributary Art Movement. The majority of her work, mostly paintings, has been categorized as "Cultural Surrealism," often said to be in the "tradition of Cynthia Tom and Frida Kahlo."

Urban Envy's works can be seen in local galleries of New York City.

Here's Miki...

Bambi Weavil is founder and CEO of Out Impact, Inc and publisher of its online magazine Out Impact. Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, Bambi spends her days and her nights working to raise money for LGBTQ issues...while also squeezing time to write about pro wrestling and her guilty pleasure, "American Idol."

Here's Bambi...