Wednesday 26 February 2014

National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE)



American Studies Week 7 Blog: Feminism

Find, analyse and post any website or blog explicitly devoted to contemporary women issues in America. Analyse it from a feminist perspective.


The National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) is “a coalition of women and civil rights organizations” founded in 1979. Its purpose is to “close the wage gap that still exists between women, as well as people of colour, and men”. It claims that in 1963, when the Equal Pay Act was signed, women made 59 cents on average for every dollar earned by men, and that whilst census statistics released in 2013 reveal this gap has closed somewhat, with women’s earnings amounting to 76.5 % of men’s wages or 77 cents on average for every dollar, this shows that the aim of the Equal Pay Act has not been achieved. It attributes part of the disparity in wages to the preponderance of women in low-paying occupations, as well as factors like education and lack of experience in the work force. However, it also argues that the remaining gap  is also the result of continued discrimination towards women, claiming that studies “continue to show women earning less than men in the same occupations”. It also mentions that the wage gap is worse for women of colour. The most damning fact it cites, though, is probably from a study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research showing that “if the pace of change in the annual earnings ratio continues at the same as it has since 1960, it will take another 45 years, until 2058, for men and women to reach parity”. To solve this problem, it suggests the following measures: 1) The Department of Labour should develop a tool to collect data regarding salaries etc, so that employers and employees can access information to end pay discrimination; 2) The Department of Labour should gather information to ensure employers receiving tax dollars are abiding by the law. The website offers free membership to those who want to join the NCPE, and also encourages its readers to visit various websites that deal with this issue. 
From a feminist perspective, if we are to believe the findings quoted in the website, the fact that wage disparity still exists despite several feminist waves and the civil rights movement of 1960s, must be unacceptable. To feminists, there is no reason to suppose that women are less competent than men. This contention can be supported by a 2007 gender gap study from the World Economic Forum (WEF) that suggests women are more likely to hold a university degree than men, whilst they also consistently outperform men in terms of academic achievements. A study by Olga Epitropokai, who holds a PhD and is an academic director at ALBA Graduate Business School in Greece, also reveals that women are equal in terms of intelligence to men, and that in the case of emotional intelligence and empathy, women are actually superior. According to Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a professor at the University of London, emotional intelligence can be linked to humility, and this has been suggested as a necessary quality for leaders as it is more likely that a venture would become great if the “executive blends genuine personal humility with intense professional will.” Scientific research has also suggested that women are more effective/transformational leaders, and in light of this, it is lamentable that a 1998 survey shows that there were only 2 FORTUNE 500 companies had female CEOs. 
All these findings suggest to feminists that women are at least as competent as men. In the face of this, they question why they still receive lower wages, and can only attribute this to discrimination, as noted by the NCPE. One relevant case is highlighted by Epitropokai who states that there is bias against working mothers, with employers viewing them as less competent, self-oriented and less-dedicated to their children than stay-at-home mothers, which is nonsense considering the earlier findings and because, as Premuzic highlighted, women are more empathetic, whilst it has also been shown that men are more likely to be arrogant and less caring. 
So from a feminist perspective it is wholly unacceptable that wage disparity still exists in this day and age. To them, women are just as competent and should be guaranteed their rights under the Equal Pay Act, being eligible for the benefits men receive. Even if women are more likely to drop out of a job than men, it doesn’t explain why wages cannot be equal. Some radical feminists may view the NCPE policy of “urging the Department of Labour” to take action as lukewarm, and would probably love to see the enforcement of the Equal Pay Act, which is federal law. Despite the obvious bias and questionable credibility of the sources I have presented, I still feel that there is a strong argument for women not to have to suffer wage disparity. It is ironic that a country claiming to be the “land of the opportunity” would deny the opportunity for personal growth on the grounds of gender, which in itself is a violation of civil rights. There is clearly no reason to deny women equal pay, if they are able to perform the job to a competent level. Finally, the fact that the problem still exists despite a federal law guaranteeing equal wages is plain odd, and as such in this case, I concur with the claim by feminists for equal wages for all workers.

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