The Daily Iowan
August 28th, 2014
Aug. 26 has been designated by President Obama as Women’s Equality Day in honor of the date on which the 19th Amendment was certified. The amendment guaranteed all women the right to vote, which had historically been denied to them. Even though this landmark legislation was ratified 94 years ago, just as much emphasis should be placed on the issues that threaten sex equality today. It is important to celebrate past victories as well as ensuring there will be many more to come.
The Obama administration has made great strides in securing equal treatment for women across the board. But while the Constitution guarantees women the right to vote, it does nothing to protect them from the subtle forms of discrimination that exist today.
Women today still make less money than their male counterparts and face unfair treatment from employers for gender-specific circumstances such as pregnancie. This pay gap even exists at the University of Iowa.
According to an April report by the American Association of University Professors, women who are full professors at the UI make 85.3 percent of what men do in the same position. The UI has the largest gap among the three regent universities and Big Ten institutions for full professors.