Equal pay for equal work: a frustration for many working mothers
Most families are not financially able to enjoy the luxury of a stay at home Mom. It's too hard for most of us to make ends meet without a second income. However, when Mom goes to work, she finds, more often than not, that the working mother, doing the same job and possessing an equal skill set, is paid less than a man. This is a source of great and legitimate frustration.
Working mothers are already penalized, in that she has far less time to spend raising her children. The insult to injury shows up in her paycheck. She may be seated right next to Joe, doing the exact same work. Joe's paycheck is, sometimes, substantially larger, while they both work 40 hours. Doesn't seem right, does it? Let's take a look at why this situation is so common and what the working mother can do to attain equal pay for equal work.
The genesis of unequal pay began more than fifty years ago. During World War II, with most working age men away at war, the family structure got turned on its head. It became necessary for women to do their part to support the war effort, going to work in factories to make the necessary supplies (remember Rosie the Riveter?), as there weren't enough men to fill the jobs. The traditional stay at home Mom became a working mother, mostly due to a rally to patriotism. When the war ended, most women were relieved to be out of a job and back home tending the family fires.
This period of the working mother in war time did break the traditional mode of men as the breadwinners. By the mid-1950s, it became common for women to hold part time jobs to augment the family income. These jobs tended to be menial and women did not expect to be paid a man's wage. Such part-time and short term jobs did not pay enough to support the family and were not intended to be so. More complex occupations were generally reserved for men. Men wanted to be the breadwinners, while women did not. This was the socially acceptable arrangement of the day.
During the 1960s, it became far more common for women to go to college and develop careers previously held only by men. The unspoken agreement was that women were only hired for 'men's jobs' at a lesser rate of pay. After all, a woman was taking a job away from the traditional breadwinner. It would be unthinkable to give equal pay and women had to accept this if they wanted to work.
As time passed, these young women college grads married and had families. By the 1970s, economic conditions and increasing family debt brought women back into the mainstream work force, as working mothers. The prevailing notion of men being the breadwinners was still in effect. Employers still, perhaps almost unconsciously, regarded women as taking a job away from a man. The only rationale to hiring working mothers was that the company didn't need to pay them an equal wage.
Although plenty of women are still on a slow burn over the issue, old ideas die slowly. Today, we talk about the 'glass ceiling'. Equal pay is still an issue. Few women have overcome and broken through that ceiling, and now enjoy equal pay.
So what prevents most women from receiving equal pay? According to one female business consultant, the major reason is that women state a lower dollar amount as their desired rate of pay when they apply for that equal work job!
Working mothers often buy into this self-defeating concept, feeling that the only way into a profession is a lower pay rate. Some feel that it's necessary to make that trade-off, because they need a job. Others think that they must be 'mannish' in their demeanor to get equal pay.
So what's the solution? Realize that your educational qualifications are every bit as valuable as a man with the same credentials. Women can be just as professional in the performance of their job as a man. Being a woman can be an asset in certain professions, where a woman's style of professionalism may be better suited to the occupation than a man's. Go online and find out what the market rate is for your skill set. When you interview, or are going for a pay raise, ask for that rate of pay. Today's working mother needs to buff up her professional self esteem! You may well get what you're worth. Good luck!
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