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Maia Simon PA, USA's avatar

In 1970, I was denied a promotion I had been promised and foregone a pay increase earlier because I would get it with the promotion. They hired a man and paid him TWICE what I was making. When I protested I was told that I was a married woman of childbearing age and they couldn’t risk giving me the responsibility. My two weeks notice coincided with the 2 weeks vacation I was owed. There was no place to take this for review or remediation. Btw, this was at an Ivy League university.

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Cathy Learoyd (Texas)'s avatar

I worked as a secretary for a couple of years while my husband earned his masters degree. I came home one day and told my mind was rusting. He said well, why you go study engineering. I said YES! and did so. After one semester in engineering I was offered a summer job at twice the salary of my full time secretarial job. I had entered a "man's" occupation with all its benefits. Some of the problem is the jobs that are majority women are not as valued as like teachers are not given the value they deserve. On the other hand, when I was promoted to the manager of my engineering group I found out that 2/3's of the people working for me made more money than I did. Most of that may have been that I was climbing the corporate ladder rather quickly, but they had to give me 20%+ raises every six months for two years to get my salary in line with the job I was doing.

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JennSH from NC's avatar

I taught school and paid for my husband’s last year of college. In his first job right out of college, he made twice what I made. Where would anyone be without teachers? Teachers who have profound influence on kids often caring for them when no one else does.

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Cathy Learoyd (Texas)'s avatar

I think teachers are the most exploited group in our society. It should be the most valued job in our society because it will make the most difference to the next generation being successful and have well-being.

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Camilla B. (GA)'s avatar

Maria, I’m also a retired academic, a librarian. In my last two jobs (one private, one public), former colleagues told me after I left that they couldn’t find anyone to hire who would accept the job at the salary they were willing to pay. I retired at the end of the academic year after I turned 62.

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SLWeston (PA)'s avatar

Infuriating, Camilla. I’m glad you’re retired.

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Camilla B. (GA)'s avatar

Thank you, so am I. Early retirement was one of the best things I ever did for myself.

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Maia Simon PA, USA's avatar

Also IT. And a system I wrote for them was still in operation 20 years later.

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SLWeston (PA)'s avatar

But, of course, they named it after you, right? /s

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