Promises Unkept, The Enduring Pink Ghetto

Gretchen Glasscock — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:46:15 +0000

Today there is an ongoing flap about the consideration of Kim Gandy, President of the National Organization for Women (NOW) , for Directorship of the Women’s Bureau in the U.S. Department of Labor. If you recall, NOW endorsed the all-male ticket of Obama and Biden in the general election. Some question her motives and believe it was a type of “pay for play”.

All the talk and back and forth in the blogosphere, with many women’s groups protesting Gandy as a choice, has set me to thinking about the the Women’s Bureau itself. Specifically, what has it accomplished and is it, in itself, another form of a pink ghetto?

What is a pink ghetto?

Elana Centor, in Can You Ever Escape The Pink Ghetto? explains ” Time was the Pink Collar Ghetto was a term to describe traditional women’s jobs — those jobs with low pay and little job advancement opportunities: teachers, nurses and secretaries.” It is also used to describe certain spots for women in corporations such as HR, an Marketing or the role of CMO (Chief Marketing Officer).

In just about every field there is a corner reserved for women where the pay and prestige are lower even though the work is equally demanding.

Think about it.

As Imdiversity.com points out, “….the medical profession provides a case study in the opportunities and problems for women in general. Most women doctors are in the so-called nurturing fields — pediatrics, family doctors, obstetrics and gynecology. Few are in the more prestigious and highly compensated fields such as neurosurgery or heart surgery. Women remain a distinct minority on medical-school faculties, and there are precious few female deans.”

In fact, when women begin to be the majority in a field, the pay goes down.

Melanie Perry reports she “was wondering during a recent salary survey of Design professionals that I did that Training, Marketing, Landscape Architecture and Interior Design were among some of the lower-paying fields when they obviously require such skills… then it occurs to me… those are the fields with some of the highest percentages of women in them.”

So, my question is, What is it that the Women’s Bureau is doing for us? They’ve had a long time to do it, so why are women still only earning 78 cents on the dollar for men? Why is it that Federal law requires that certified women-owned businesses receive at least 5% of all Federal contracts, but less than 3.2% of all contracts are awarded to women.

Yes, Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter act but are individual women going to have to sue huge, rich conglomerates to get fair pay?

I have to wonder if the Women’s Bureau itself is a Pink Ghetto? Is it like the Bureau of Indian Affairs, there to babysit us and hold our hand and see that we don’t get off the reservation? Or, if we do, we don’t get into too much trouble?

If women are going to be marginalized couldn’t they at least give us our own plot of land so we could build a casino and make some real money? ( I’m kidding.)

Long ago many women decided the only way to get a fair break was to start their own business, which women have increasingly done and are making almost $2 trillion doing it.

But we shouldn’t have to jump out of the labor market to make equal pay. And that, it seems, should be the base line expectation for the Women’s Bureau. Whoever is appointed to lead the Women’s Bureau we should hold her feet to the fire until she accomplishs that one goal.

6 Strategies To Help You Keep Your Job

Gretchen Glasscock — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:44:50 +0000

It’s true. In some companies, even those which we thought were invulnerable, pink slips are raining like confetti. And that’s if the company can manage to keep its doors open. The unemployment rate among college-educated workers has jumped 41% over the past year, and there’s no end in sight.

Smart job strategies to avoid layoffs offers some suggestions and I’ve added some of my own thoughts in italics.

1. Stand out and step up

Strategy: Make sure higher-ups know you by solving problems and taking on high-profile projects.

Well this is an evergreen. Don’t wait until a recession to practice this. It should be your every day mantra.

2. Be a money-maker

Strategy: Share client leads or ideas to generate revenue even if that’s not part of your responsibilities.

No kidding, Watashi. No one fires a money maker.

3. Don’t be a Don Downer

Strategy: Hang out with the people the boss respects most. The halo of their good reputation may extend to you.

Not too sure I’d waste my time hanging out with anyone when there’s work to be done. But then I’m a recovering…but not much…workaholic. And I’m not sure anyone fires a workaholic either, since they’re usually doing the work of 3 people.

4. Increase your value

Strategy. Keep on top of advances in your field and expand your expertise beyond your core area.

Another evergreen. Don’t wait for a recession to do this. Do it day in and day out, rain or shine.

5. Go beyond your job description

Strategy. Look for problem spots that you can help fix. And pitch in whenever extra hands are needed.

No kidding. Who wrote some of these? The office slow poke? ( No offense meant. I know they gave some good examples which is worth a lot I guess.)

6. Make a sacrifice

Strategy. Volunteering to take a pay cut during an industrywide downturn can make you look like a hero.

I am really not too sure of this one. I’m not sure anyone should step up and devalue themselves. If you’re the CEO or one of the top management of a company by all means, step up to the plate and ask for a pay cut. You’re the responsible party. But, for employees below that level, I think the better advice is to keep your salary the same and offer to take on more work.

These are my thoughts. But if you want to compare them in detail, go to Smart job strategies to avoid layoffs and read the whole piece…lots of examples.

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Promises Unkept, The Enduring Pink Ghetto

6 Strategies To Help You Keep Your Job

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