Category | Op Ed

U.S. must fulfill promise of women’s equality

Published on August 28, 2007 by The Sentinel

    This Women’s Equality Day, Aug. 26, the United States should take steps to live up to its founding principle of equality. The day marks the passage of the 19th Amendment. Unfortunately, the struggle for equal rights is far from over.

    American women hold only 16 percent of the seats in the current Congress. Sweden uses an electoral gender quota system, and is among the world leaders, with women holding 47.3 percent of its parliamentary seats, stated the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Globally, 97 countries have some type of electoral gender quota, and we should look to this as an example of how the United States could work toward increasing gender parity in elected office.

    In the workplace, women are making some gains in pay, but they still face a significant wage disparity. Nationally, women who work full time still earn 76.5 cents for every dollar men do, stated the 2004 Census data.

    Many women continue to face discrimination on the job. In early August, a federal judge granted class-action status to a gender discrimination lawsuit by female employees of Novartis Pharmaceuticals. The suit alleges that the company discriminated against female employees in pay, promotions and evaluations.

    Similar complaints are increasing. In 1997, there were fewer than 4,000 such complaints. By 2006, they had reached almost 5,000 according to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

    Lawmakers should also stop legislating personal morality. To uphold equal rights, they must protect women’s access to all forms of birth control, including emergency contraception or Plan B. Even though the Food and Drug Administration last year approved the over-the-counter sale of Plan B to women 18 and over, women have still faced obstacles in obtaining the medication. Only 14 states require hospitals to provide women - including possible rape victims - with information about its availability. Worse, in 2006, 18 states considered legislation allowing pharmacists to refuse to fill birth-control prescriptions or provide Plan B.

    In President Bush’s 2006 Women’s Equality Day proclamation, he stated, “We will continue to build an America where the dignity of every person is respected, and where opportunity is within reach for all our citizens.” The Bush administration must take steps to live up to this promise.

    Congress can do its part by sending the Women’s Equality Amendment, formerly known as the Equal Rights Amendment, to the states for ratification, which would write gender equality in the U.S. Constitution and help end sex discrimination.

    Full equality for women in the United States is long overdue.