 |
| Miranda in WDC Woman's March January 2017 |
How quickly we assimilate change in our lives. What we take for granted today, like iPhones and all that they can do, just a few short years ago was only possible in Syfy movies. One of my first jobs in Pennsylvania was with Mauchly Associates, headed by Dr. John Mauchly. At lunch, he and I would play an occasional game of chess where during our discussions he would tell me one day we would all need computers in our daily lives and even carry them in our pockets, and I would question him on this futuristic thinking. You see he was the co-inventor of the first digital computer, ENIAC and I was just a stupid young person with no vision. I am embarrassed by the thoughts of those conversations today.
Those of us who carry any age (like me at 70) have seen first hand those things important in our lives one day, gone and replaced by more efficient items designed to make life easier the next.
It can be fun and exhilarating to experience the new innovations that the creative minds among us create and surprising how soon these new and innovative items assimilate into our normal everyday lives.
There many changes that occur in our lives that soon we take for granted, going on thru the day with little or no thought about what we are doing or how we do it. This hit me when I saw the many responses from people who posted negative stories with ugly rhetoric about the Woman’s March that occurred after Trump was sworn in as President. I struggle with the conversations that take place peppered with name calling to express a point of view that challenges the purpose of the Woman’s March or any position for that matter. Since Nixon’s Presidency, the idea of not standing with a President in office to mean you are not Patriotic is nonsense to me. No matter who is in office it is our right and obligation to question the deeds of our Presidents. My voice as a citizen has a right to be heard and so does yours. Also with this right, comes an obligation to educate yourself with the truth. I know that seems hard to find in these days swollen with an opinion, but it can be found.
Take the Women’s March for instance. People I know challenged my stand on the Women’s March saying I supported the march just because I hate Trump. I want to be clear, I do not hate Trump. I do not like the policy changes he is making, but I do not hate him. I do not like his bullying that he does from the podium, but I do not hate him. I do not like the fact that he has appointed people to head cabinet positions that historically have stood against the idea of that department, but I do not hate him. I do not like the fact that he wants to dismantle the EPA (I remember when we almost lost Lake Michigan to pollution), but I do not hate him.
When men in politics pass laws and create programs that control what I can and cannot do I take that serious. That is why I stood with those that marched. I have witnessed in my lifetime the power of the pen. What is given can be taken away. Trump is showing us this by his decisions. We have become lazy as citizens and forget those who came before us and the sacrifices they made to give us the freedoms we enjoy today. But when I feel the pressure of the those who want to take us back to “the good ole days,” I get worried and figure it is time to get active again. I don’t think many realize how recent some of these rights have been penned. Let me share some with you.
1936; The federal law prohibiting the dissemination of contraceptive information through the mail is modified, and birth control information is no longer classified as obscene. Throughout the 1940s and 50s, birth control advocates are engaged in numerous legal suits.
1963: Congress passes the Equal Pay Act, making it illegal for employers to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for the same job. Before this, a woman would be paid less for the same work, and even when laws were passed to stop this, the employers would change the title of a woman's job to get away with paying her less.
1964: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act bars discrimination in employment on the basis of race and sex. At the same time, it establishes the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate complaints and impose penalties. I remember reading ads that said “No Irish need apply,” “Men only” "No Jews need apply" and “Whites Only.”
1965: In Griswold v. Connecticut, the Supreme Court strikes down the one remaining state law prohibiting the use of contraceptives by married couples.
1967: Executive Order 11375 expands President Lyndon Johnson's affirmative action policy of 1965 to cover discrimination based on gender. As a result, federal agencies and contractors must take active measures to ensure that women, as well as minorities, enjoy the same educational and employment opportunities as white males. Yes, an executive order…like any President can honor or undo. (Remember the power of the pen.)
1968: The EEOC rules that sex-segregated help wanted ads in newspapers are illegal. This ruling is upheld in 1973 by the Supreme Court, opening the way for women to apply for higher-paying jobs hitherto open only to men.
1972: In Eisenstadt v. Baird the Supreme Court rules that the right to privacy includes an unmarried person's right to use contraceptives. 1972? The right to privacy? We all take this for granted!
1972, June: Title IX of the Education Amendments bans sex discrimination in schools. It states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." As a result of Title IX, the enrollment of women in athletics programs and professional schools increases dramatically. We must realize that we women gained from this program also.
1974: The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits discrimination in consumer credit practices on the basis of sex, race, marital status, religion, national origin, age, or receipt of public assistance.
1974: In Corning Glass Works v. Brennan, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that employers cannot justify paying women lower wages because that is what they traditionally received under the "going market rate." A wage differential occurring "simply because men would not work at the low rates paid women" is unacceptable.
1974: Until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in 1974, women were not able to apply for credit.
1974: The first law giving rights for a woman to refuse to have sex with her husband was passed.
1976: The first marital rape law is enacted in Nebraska making it illegal for a husband to rape his wife. Think about this….the FIRST law was written…up until this time it was legal!
1978: The Pregnancy Discrimination Act bans employment discrimination against pregnant women. Under the Act, a woman cannot be fired or denied a job or a promotion because she is or may become pregnant, nor can she be forced to take a pregnancy leave if she is willing and able to work.
For those with Grandparents ask them what they remember about pregnant women in the workforce. Many my age remember teachers disappearing from the classroom because they became pregnant. A friend of mine told me a story how her job with a large corporation was ended when her pregnancy began to show. She was forced to quit. She was an administrative secretary to one of the top men and was told it was unbecoming to the company to look that way. I also talked to a friend who told me she was directly told she would not be hired because if they did, she would just get married and then pregnant and they didn’t want to spend time training her.
1986: Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, the Supreme Court finds that sexual harassment is a form of illegal job discrimination. Even today, women in the workforce endure many sexual overtones with little recourse for the woman. It is still hard to fight the “good-ole-boys” club. Just follow the latest in the news today regarding the Marine Corp scandal.
Study the above Executive Orders, Acts, Laws, and Court Cases. These all came because someone stood up for their rights as a woman. They fought for you and me. There was a personal sacrifice to all who took this step. We take them for granted today, but in the face of the dismantling of many programs now on the horizon of Trump's Presidency, nothing can be taken for granted. Nothing. That is why marching with women is important to me, for my daughters, granddaughters, and the woman to follow. Woman's rights are human rights.
I shall step off my soap box now and go in silence to mend this damn head cold!
No comments:
Post a Comment