Feminist Advocacy and Generation Y

By Chelsea Feuchs, JWI Intern

Recently, I attended a rally in Washington DC to support equal pay for women.  As an intern, I was excited to see democracy in action in this political city.  My original excitement fizzled a bit when I realized the majority of the crowd was comprised of women much older than I am.  The few advocates my age were all fellow interns, sent by their organizations, but nowhere did I see teenagers or college-aged people rallying completely of their own accord.  This made me wonder: what is the state of feminist advocacy among Generation Y?

Equal pay for equal work does not strike a chord with my peers; in fact, it is viewed as a passé feminist issue, a phrase chanted by our foremothers, but not even tweeted by us.  We grew up exceeding the boys in class, playing all the same sports (thank you Title IX), and expecting that previous generations had already fought for all the equality we would need.

Unfortunately, our perception does not match reality.  Women still make 77 cents on average for every dollar a man makes.

But before you or I write off Generation Y as lazy or dispassionate, consider the tremendous amount of power at our fingertips.  We have mastered social networking and can disseminate information at the speed of light.  Our opinions and dollars drive the economy and our vote is coveted.  All we need to do is channel that power.

We must realize that while the tactics of previous feminists may not work for us, the problems they faced still exist in a large part today.  That is why, decades later, we are still fighting for equal pay.  And you, whatever generation you are from, can show that we are not backing down in 2012 by supporting the Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act (EEORA).  Ask your congressperson, in person, over the phone, or through email to support this legislation.  Find your voice and make it heard, whatever way you can.

Speaking Out for Fair Employment Opportunities

By Mali Kranz, JWI Intern

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) led a rally this Wednesday, the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Dukes v. Walmart case. Women’s rights activists expressed their disappointment in the ruling in Walmart’s favor, which said that Walmart’s female employees could not bring a class action lawsuit to fight gender discrimination in promotions and pay. This ruling set a harmful precedent for future discrimination cases. Participants showed their support for the Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act, which would reverse the damage done by the Walmart case and allow class action suits of this type.

The rally’s featured speaker, Betty Dukes, spoke out against the Supreme Court decision. “I do not think the ruling was fair. I do not think the ruling was just,” Dukes told the crowd. “Together in solidarity, we are a strong force to be reckoned with… It is time we take a stand for righteousness and justice for women everywhere.”

While Dukes, who traveled from California for the rally, said that she was grateful to all the people who came out in support, however she added that she was “hoping for a larger presence of women. If you have no voice, then your voice is your consent, and I am not consenting to their ruling. I think it was unjust then, and I think it’s unjust a year later.”

The landmark Betty Dukes v. Walmart case was the largest civil rights class action suit in the country when Dukes sued Walmart, her employer, for gender and pay discrimination. Dukes realized that despite her six years as a Walmart employee, she had not been offered the same promotional opportunities as her male colleagues. According to an article in The New Yorker, “at the time, women comprised about seventy-two percent of the sales workforce and just a third of management—and an even lesser percentage of upper management.”

Organizations in attendance included Jewish Women International, National Council of Jewish Women, National Organization for Women, National Partnership for Women and Families, and Alliance for Justice.