Equal Pay For Women: What's Taking So Long?

The late Honourable Michael Manley 

My political life began at a very tender age. I grew up in a Jamaica that was very ripe with equality and justice for all. Democratic Socialism was the order of the day and the leader of the country, The Right Honourable Michael Manley, was my god.

One of my favourite songs was and remains, “The Message” My then tiny waist would gyrate when the words “equal pay for women" rang out but I had no real clue what that truly meant.

"My father born ya

My father born ya

My grandmother born ya

My grandmother born ya

I and I born ya

I and I born ya

My leader born ya

My leader born ya

That's why I nah leave ya

No I nah leave ya

He gave I a message

Who are those people

Who no love progress

Who no love progress

Equal pay for women

Equal pay for women

Juck them with the minimum wage

Juck them with the minimum wage

My leader born ya

My leader born ya." 

I left the shores of Jamaica thrice now in my life but that song still transports me to a time in our history when the idea of equality for women rang true. Moreover, the then wife of Comrade Leader (as he was called by Members of the party) looked just like me – black Jamaican with an afro, and dare I say beautiful.

A more recent Beverley Anderson-Duncan

She was my mirror for many years, reflecting to me what I could become – an educated, professional woman, mother and leader, earning an income to take care of my family. So, I thought.

Seven years in University, I returned to a country and a world that paid me 30% less than the fellows I went to school with and graduated with higher grades than. The sad part is that this story was being lived out across the world – not just in the “Third World” economies of the world.

Fast forward 20+ years and not much has changed:

“While there appears to be widespread consensus that closing the global gender pay gap is essential, as demonstrated with ILO equality Conventions 100 and 111 among the most widely ratified, pay equity continues to arguably be one of the most violated labour and human rights standards.” Mary Cornish, Closing the Gender Pay Gap: SecuringJustice for Women’s Work 

We are told that women lose out due to:

• Discrimination in hiring practices and salary negotiations
• Education choices
• Differences in the types of positions held by men and women and the salaries paid in the fields typically chosen by men as opposed to women (especially highly paid high risk jobs)
• Breaks in employment (usually to have children and raise them)

Image: blogs.denverpost.com

This blog is not on a mission to save the world. However, it is hard on Women's Equal Pay Day (August 26) to ignore that it is high time that this gross inequality ends. Check out this report entitled “Frozen In Time,” that was published last year and provides great insight to the status of women around the world on this survival issue. 

Claudette Esterine

I am one of the many hundreds of thousands of women who have spent many years earning a degree or two, raised children, maintained a household while working full time. As a community, we must continue to take a stand, speak truth to power and get what is rightfully ours – equal pay for equal work.

“Today there are people trying to take away rights that our mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers fought for: our right to vote, our right to choose, affordable quality education, equal pay, access to health care. We the people can't let that happen.” Kerry Washington

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