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Company Culture
Last week, March 31, marked Equal Pay Day, representing the amount of time into the new year the average woman has to work to make the same amount as the average man, although it’s important to note this date occurs much later for women of color, who experience larger pay gaps. In recognition of Equal Pay Day, impact investing firm Arjuna Capital has published its annual Gender Pay Scorecard evaluating companies on the steps they are taking to close the gender pay gap. Just three of the 50 top U.S. companies it evaluated received an “A”— Starbucks (3.2 stars) , Mastercard (3.6 stars) , and Citigroup (3.4 stars) . All three still have a gender pay gap. Over half of the surveyed companies earned an “F” including companies like Walmart (2.5 stars) , Goldman Sachs (3.5 stars) , McDonald’s (2.5 stars) , Verizon (3.2 stars) , and MetLife (3.3 stars) . Fast Company
As many of us have entered quarantine and begun remote work, some of us have found ourselves spending our days in front of our laptops on Zoom. But how much do you really know about the video conferencing platform? Since its popularity exploded in the past few weeks, reports concerning privacy issues within the app have made the rounds. And, according to this one from Vox, “attention tracking” software was allowing managers to monitor employees on Zoom without their knowledge until the app recently disabled the feature. The piece also outlines some of the other ways employers are monitoring employees during remote work. Vox
A couple of weeks ago, we shared with you an article about the myth of the feminist utopia marketed by feminist coworking space The Wing. Since then, the company has axed hundreds of workers, cutting about half of its full-time staff and the majority of its hourly employees in response to the coronavirus and social distancing guidelines that render a coworking space impractical in a pandemic. Bloomberg
Quick Hits
Even before the coronavirus, remote work was gaining in popularity and is seen by many as a great equalizer of sorts, especially for working mothers. But, according to an annual study of the gender pay gap in remote workers from Owl Labs, remote work doesn’t completely solve inequality in the workplace. The poll of 1,598 U.S. remote workers found that fathers who work remotely full time are 233 percent more likely to earn $100,000 or more than mothers who work remotely full time and that men who work remotely full time are 157 percent more likely to earn salaries of $100,000 or more than women who work remotely full time. Fast Company
As many of us are focused on pandemic-related news right now, it’s easy to let other stories go unseen. These two caught our attention: In the past week, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed two bills into law, one banning transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams and another prohibiting trans people from from changing their gender on Idaho birth certificates. And Texas, Ohio, and Indiana have all attempted to sneak abortion procedures into executive actions limiting elective procedures under the guise of limiting the spread of coronavirus. CNN , The Washington Post
The postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games until next year is hard for any athlete who’s been training for four long years to swallow, but the date change is particularly distressing to women gymnasts, who often have shorter careers than other athletes. For example, a woman over the age of 19 hasn’t won the gold medal in the women’s all-around in 48 years. NY Times
Around the World
Australia: Approximately one million Australian families will gain access to free child care as part of the country’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. The plan, announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, will inject $1.6 billion AUD ($974 million USD) into the child care and early education sector over the next three months to help facilities stay open and make it easier for parents to keep working. CNN
Uganda: Stella Nyanzi was released last month after an 18-month period of incarceration for insulting Yoweri Museveni, Uganda’s longtime autocratic president. Nyanzi, a feminist scholar, has in recent years become one of Museveni’s most vocal critics, mixing humor and profanity into her political commentary. In a country that limits freedom of speech, Nyanzi’s actions require courage, but she doesn’t plan on silencing herself anytime soon. NY Times
France: Although necessary for the preservation of public health, quarantine can jeopardize the safety of women who live in abusive relationships, as evidenced by the 30 percent spike in reports of domestic abuse in France since the country went into lockdown in mid-March. In response, the French government has announced that it will provide women with the funds to spend up to 20,000 nights in hotels to escape abusive partners and has set up 20 support centers, as well as alert systems to help women discreetly ask for help in pharmacies by asking for a specific type of mask. VICE
