Economic equity news is a weekly round-up of articles by Donna Seymour of AAUW-NYS that features our core values of poverty solutions, opportunity and access, workplace fairness, healthy lives, equal pay and representation at all tables. Sign up for our mailing list to receive this directly to your inbox.
Hint: It doesn’t involve getting you coffee. Some good news for those who hope to someday live in a world where women coders and surgeons are as plentiful as their male counterparts: Today’s elementary school girls are actually more interested in pursuing a STEM career than their male classmates are.
New York state troopers are advising Planned Parenthood clinics statewide on security and emergency planning in the wake of Friday’s deadly attack at a clinic in Colorado. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says state police will begin visits and discussions Monday with Planned Parenthood’s more than 60 clinics and locations statewide.
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Why Mark Zuckerberg taking paternity leave really matters via The Washington Post
The first millennial CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Zuckerberg is part of a generation of men who place more value on work-life balance and taking time off with their children. His company offers four months of paid leave to both male and female employees. His chief operating officer is none other than “Lean In” maven Sheryl Sandberg, who not only advocates for more women in leadership but for more dads doing diaper duty. Had Zuck elected not to take substantial time off, it would have sent a mixed message.
- Gap says audits show its workers get equal pay for the same work via the L.A. Times
Since the California Fair Pay Act was signed into law last month, companies have been scrambling to check their books, review their hiring statistics and get legal guidance to navigate what’s being called the toughest equal wage statute in the country. The new law is turning the spotlight on hundreds of companies where men and women are paid unequal wages despite having similar duties.
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Why we need quotas for women on boards via The Guardian
When I sat on the board of the Department of Trade and Industry, then then the Department for Trade, Business and Skills, I noticed something that had been missing from the private sector boards I had sat on previously. The number of women on the board almost outnumbered the men( even before considering the non-executive directors) and this completely changed the dynamics. I noticed that when there is more than one woman on board, not only do women speak out more but their influence increases.
Donna Seymour, who hails from the (far upstate) North Country of NYS, has spent 40 plus years advocating for children, women and family issues, equity, sustainability, and social justice issues. Currently serving as the Public Policy VP for AAUW-NYS (the American Association University Women), she is also a member the League of Women Voters, the Equal Pay Coalition, PTA, NOW, and Planned Parenthood, just to name a few.