According to the report “Graduating to a Pay Gap” on the American Association of University Women website, “women working full time already earn less than their male counterparts do just one year after college graduation.” The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963. According to the report, 50 years later women are still earning less than men in nearly every occupation. Clearly, this will not change without further action.
Lilly Ledbetter will be in Athens on Thursday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. This is a woman of action. She lost her pay discrimination lawsuit against Goodyear, but she continues to advocate for equal pay. The first law President Obama signed after he took office was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. I just finished her book, Grace and Grit, and I can relate to her story… I lost my lawsuit, too.
I have always believed that even when you lose, you should not lose the lesson. The number one lesson learned is that time is of the essence. While I was trying to work through the internal processes available to me, I did not know there was a legal clock ticking. Lilly Ledbetter’s law gets us more time, but the laws are still not favorable to women.
In addition to the lawsuit, I also filed a complaint with the Department of Education in 2009. I was told that I had waited too long for them to consider my personal situation, but they started an 18-month investigation on behalf of all administrative and classified staff. Before they finished their investigation, the university agreed to a resolution to replace the outdated job audit process that started my fight with them in the first place. From the beginning of my fight for equal pay, it was never just about me. If you would like to know more about my efforts, you can go to: joyicesjournal.wordpress.com
This is not a women’s issue; it’s a family issue. Lilly Ledbetter’s message is critically important to all of us – men and women – and I hope we have a big crowd to hear her speak.
Joyice Childs is an Athens resident.
