Women's eNews (https://womensenews.org/tag/women_s_jobs/page/2/)
For the latest example of the “soft war” on women, turn to the Iowa Supreme Court. Recently, it allowed a dentist to fire his assistant for having looks that might distract him from his marriage. We’re not making this up.
Cashiers earn the least of the 20 most common occupations for women. But for one woman working at Trader Joe’s the deal is very different. “They pay enough to keep employees happy,” says Carolynn Nielsen.
Connie Larson is taking time off so her feet can heal, which means no pay and paying out of pocket. Beyond her own problems, she worries about the sales and commission quotas she is supposed to enforce. “It’s a fear-based situation,” she says.
Unknowingly, the women signed up to work for the Manhattan Project during World War II, drawn by promises of solid wages and war-ending work, says Denise Kiernan in “The Girls of Atomic City.” In this excerpt, secretary Celia starts her journey.
Critics say federal wage protections for these workers will drive elderly and disabled people into institutionalized settings. Advocates say that hasn’t happened in states that currently extend the minimum wage to home care workers.
Tabitha Waugh, a registered nurse in a West Virginia hospital, can’t complain about the pay. But it’s tough finding time with her kids and the work takes a toll, physically and mentally. “I just don’t want to do direct patient care forever,” she said.
She likes lots of things about her job, but the erratic scheduling means she doesn’t know when she’ll see her daughter at the end of the day. And her income isn’t enough to stop the runaway interest on her student loans.
While it was rare to see other female workers maintaining the trails at Glacier National Park in Montana, Christine Byl says in this excerpt from “Dirt Work” that one crew helped transform a summer gig into a decades-long job working outdoors.
Dee Jay Beard earns slightly less than the average bookkeeper and is bursting with business. She could probably ask for more, but so many of her clients are small businesses that suffered in the economic downturn that she’s kept her fees in check.
On April 9 we mark Equal Pay Day, a time for spurring the modernization of the Equal Pay Act. But let’s not stop there. Let’s also attack the problems of low-paid work and volatile scheduling that hold back millions of female workers.