By Philip N. Cohen University of Maryland Gender inequality within families is reciprocally related to gender inequality in the paid workplace. That is why one of the legacies of the Equal Pay Act, which brought scrutiny and sanctions to bear on gender discrimination at work, has been growing egalitarianism within families as well. Research consistently shows the […]
Topics of Expertise: Division of Labor in Families / Work & Familygender equality
Men against Women, or the Top 20 Percent against the Bottom 80?
By Leslie McCall Professor of Sociology and Political Science Faculty Fellow, Institute for Policy Research Northwestern University l-mccall@northwestern.edu It used to be that the most economically successful women earned no more than the typical man, even when they had more education and held more highly skilled jobs. In 1970, the average woman in the top […]
Topics of Expertise: History & Trends on Gender, Marriage & Family Life / Labor & Workforce / Work & FamilyFrom the Folks Who Brought you the Weekend: What Unions Do for Women
The Equal Pay Act is often presumed to be an accomplishment of the feminist movement of the 1960s. In fact, it was spearheaded by female trade unionists, who first introduced the bill in 1945 as an amendment to the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act. The bill was defeated, largely because of staunch opposition from business interests, but a coalition of labor activists reintroduced it every year until it finally passed in 1963.
Topics of Expertise: Feminism & Families / Labor & Workforce / Work & Family