Thursday, September 17, 2009

Of course we're to blame!

This week's issue of Grazia magazine features an article entitled "So, is it our fault we get paid less than men?" in response to a report detailing gender pay gaps in 'the City'. In the 'YES' corner is writer and broadcaster Lowri Turner who asks "What is it about us that we accept this sort of discrimination?" (my emphasis). Turner claims that:

...like the battered wife who goes back to her abusive husband, so City women meekly trot back for more. Many even excuse the system that discriminates against them.

And that:

City women should be thumping their fists on the boardroom tables. Instead, they buy into a system that treats them shabbily. For that, they have themselves to blame.

Personally I'm confused. Am I meant to salute Turner for not falling fault to such behavior and for trying to remove the blinkers from these poor women's eyes? Or am I meant to boo in her direction for merely shifting the blame?

Laura

1 comment:

Gill said...

I think she's missing something - really, how easy is it for one woman to go into a room of men (or even just her manager) and thump the desk and demand better pay? This is not the responsibility of individuals - they're trying to get by in an increasingly fragile job market. This is the responsibility of companioes, organisations, unions and governments. Women should be supporting their work towards equal pay - they shouldn't be expected to go it alone in the fight for equal pay for equal work.

And how patronising is her term 'city women' gender pay gaps don't just occur in big corporate offices in London.