Equal pay for equal work Its 2021, and humanity has advanced more than ever. We have trains that move faster than sound in air, and a small cuboid which can store over two terabytes of storage, and yet, people are deprived of a basic right, which is equality in a workplace. How do you expect two people to do the same work for different wages? Its outrageous. There is a 16% gender pay gap globally, despite the enactment over 58 years of the Equal pay act of 1963. We as students We as students are posing this issue as we believe even though many people have raised their voices against it, it is still prevalent and we want to contribute by making people more aware about the injustice happening right in front of their eyes.
Its in our hands now, we have to make the difference and stand up to the injustice. Its high time we give people the equality they deserve and take a step towards making the world a better place
Equal Pay For Equal Work - A short prose by Vanshika Nair
EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK
Equal Pay for Equal Work, women have been fighting for equality in everything that they do. If one takes a close look at the issues surrounding the differences between men's and women's roles in the workforce, one will notice that women tend to be one step below on the “status” or “importance” ladder. In society, the woman has always been viewed traditionally in the role she should play in the home; that she is the “homemaker” or “caretaker”. Even when women break from the stereotype of “housewife” and join the workforce, they still are not given an equal opportunity at acquiring a job that is seen to be as advancing or of garnering higher recognition. Men and women in the same labour area should be given equal pay for equal work. In most countries, women’s wages for work of equal value represent on average between 70-90% of men’s. In 2010, the OECD reported a gender wage gap in the medium full- time earnings of 17.6% across its members. In the EU, women earn on average 17.5% less than men during their lifetimes. In 2009 in the US, the women’s to men’s earnings ratio for 25-34 year olds was 89% and for 45-54 year olds was 74%. In case you thought the gender gap is restricted to the lower levels of workers, a survey done by the World Economic Forum (WEF) last year showed that there is a yawning gender gap in the corporate sector too. The average annual income of a woman is $1,185, less than a third of a man’s $3,698 in corporate India.
In India, the Constitution recognized the principle of ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work’ for both men and women, and ‘Right to Work’ through Article 39(d) and 41. As far back as 1976 the Equal Remuneration Act came into effect and yet unequal pay dogs working women in India. From small businesses to large organisations to the unorganized sector, women are paid lesser wages than men for the same work. There have been major international efforts focused at eradicating these inequalities. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is the main international human rights treaty for women adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979. In The Convention CEDAW, it is often described as an international bill of rights for women. The detailed document defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for international action to end such discrimination.
An Essay on the equal pay crisis - Anvesha Gautam
The phrase Equal pay for Equal Work means that every individual who has been employed for the work which is allotted to him should be given sufficient pay as that of the others. There should not be any discrimination while payment of wage. It is most commonly used in the context of sexual discrimination, in relation to the gender pay gap. Women have fought for equal rights since the early 1820s and 1830s. There is a strong commitment to equality between women and men in the law. Equality among men and women has gone on for several centuries and nothing has been done about it. Providing equal rights within men and women may decrease pressure on both men and women of what their stereotypical jobs should be. If equal rights would release pressure on all humans, then why are women treated as the subdominant sex? Women should have the same rights as men and to do this it is up to the entire human race to work together to fight for equality between men and women. Women were paid less than men just because they were women. “The most glaring content gap in the treaty bodies’ approach to gender equality is in the area of women’s unpaid work, particularly in relation to household reproduction and care” (Garrett). Women often started working as schoolteachers or office work after the world wars. These jobs that were offered to women were the low paying jobs with little opportunities for high paying jobs. In today’s society, it is an understatement that women have come a long way from earlier generations in achieving gaining equal rights with men. Gender roles have evolved greatly throughout history; women can even be known as the breadwinners. However, discrepancies still exist when it comes to equal pay for equal work. This issue has the potential to have an impact on all women including myself, as I hope to one day join the workforce and become a financially independent businesswoman. While some argue that the issue is not relevant to today’s society there are still cases where women’s pay does not match up to men for doing the exact same work. The equal pay is governed under the Equality Act of 2010 which gives a right to equal pay between women and men for equal work. This covers individuals in the same employment, and includes equality in pay and all other contractual terms. The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. It replaced previous anti-discrimination laws with a single Act, making the law easier to understand and strengthening protection in some situations. It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone.
The principle of equal pay for work of equal value addresses a specific aspect of workplace discrimination, namely the undervaluation of work commonly done by a disadvantaged group. A paradigm case is women’s work, which is frequently undervalued for a variety of reasons, primarily because it has traditionally been done unpaid in the home, because women remain primarily responsible for child- care and domestic work, and because unionisation and collective bargaining have been difficult to achieve.
Equal Work deserves Equal Pay - A poem by Shagun Mohta
Even though it is 2021 women still face inequalities at the means of respect, salary and designations at a workplace. I have written a short poem in the reference to above text .
When we say we want gender equality, We mean we want the same opportunities, To grow, thrive and succeed, Even we want to touch the sky, As men have it, after all we are 50-50. Another place gender equity comes into play, Is our necessary focus on equal pay, We acknowledge when all women make the same staples , As men did last year - it’s usually in April. Giving opportunities is not enough, If women don’t feel comfortable and safe, To share ideas and in a way works for them, That’s why 75 percent of in meetings goes to men. Let’s join our hands together and say it, Equal pay is crucial to workplace equity So let’s make sure we’re looking at it granularly Historically white women are first to see progress We can’t relax until no women see any less
Pay Equity - An essay by Diyanshi Patoria
Women have already been shunned by society in the past for wanting to work and help support their families. These women prove then go on ahead to society wrong by working hard and getting the job. But their hard labour (mental and/or physical) doesn’t stop there, as they have to work harder to be recognized and respected in their workplace and still be paid less than their male counterparts. It is a researched and established that most female dominated professions are low paid and professions which have become female dominated have become lower paid. Often excuses are given as to why women earn less, these excuses range from experience of the woman, the education and hours worked. Even after all these are taken into account wage gap still persists. The major contributing factors in the persisting gap in a community are Occupational Priorities, Cultural barrier, Direct discrimination, Undervaluation of women’s competence and skills.
It is equality to pay her the same as him for the same job. It is for sure equality when you give her credit for that brilliant idea. It is totally equality to admit she is more competent so she gets the job. It is equality when she has an opinion and is confident to make it known. -Belema Sandra Ekine In India women are slandered when they stand up for their right to be able to work let alone the right to an equal pay. This mindset that women belong in the kitchen is prevalent in a majority of the country’s population, and does not help the wage gap. There are several laws that indirectly indicate equal pay for equal work in the Indian Constitution and also Article 39(d) states that “that there is equal pay for equal work for both men and women”.
Why aren’t women treated the same? To get equal pay, that should be our aim. Even today women should expect to be PAID LESS and are expected to PAY MORE because of(yet another way to discriminate against women) pink tax. Pink tax is basically the invisible cost a woman pays for being a woman. Women are to pay from 7% to 13% more than what men pay for similar products for corporate profits. Pink tax is insulting to women struggling to earn equally only so they have to pay more.
It’s not about how much you get, it’s about how fair it is.
ACTIVITY 1
Case Studies - Anvesha, Divyanshi and Nikhil.
CASE STUDY 1 :This report was prepared in the Research Division of the Women’s Bureau.It was written by Mary H. Brilla, Labor Economist, under the direction of Pearl C. Ravner, Chief,Economic Studies Branch.The fieldwork was performed under the direction of Ethel Erickson, Chief, Field Branch. The payment of lower wage rates to women than to men doing the same work hasa long history, and efforts have been made for many years to secure for womenthe same remuneration that men receive when they do equal work. The railroads,the first industry is known to have adopted an equal-pay policy on an industry-wide basis, employed women as early as the 1830s, but did not establish equal payuntil 1918, when directed to do so by the Federal Government. The first Stateequal-pay law was adopted in 1919 and by 1949 12 States had adopted equal-paylaws.During World War II, when millions of women went into industry, the practice of paying the rate for the job, regardless of the worker sex, became increasinglycommon. This policy was continued in many cases after the war. To find out howequal pay has worked in practice and what management’s attitude toward it wasafter a period of experience, the Women's Bureau in the Spring of 1951 Undertook case studies of eight firms with 5 to 25 years of experience with equal pay.All of the companies visited were paying the same rates to men and women doingthe same work, but all had, in addition, some jobs that were considered "men's jobs" or "women's jobs." The "women's jobs" were not only lower-paid, as a rule, but there were indications that they were sometimes much underrated incomparison with "men's jobs." Although this practice of reserving certain jobs for either men or women had not been completely abandoned done by any of thecompanies at the time of the study, it was becoming less common. The wartimeexperience of finding women performing satisfactorily in certain jobs that they hadnot held before the war led to their retention on such jobs, and at the same ratesthat were paid to men. Although some women in all eight companies were highly paid, relatively few of them held higher-level jobs.Despite initial resistance by some of the employers, management in all of the plants visited felt, after 5 or more years of experience with equal pay, that it had been successful. All agreed that it was an equitable pay policy that contributed togood employee relations. Coverage And Methodology Of Women's Bureau Study In March and April of 1951, the Women's Bureau made case studies of a few firms
that had an equal-pay policy for at least 5 years to find out how equal pay hasworked in practice and what its major advantages have been.Women's Bureau agents visited each firm and obtained from managementrepresentatives’ information on the development and application of the equal-pay policy, and management's evaluation of its success and advantages. Data onemployment, rates of pay, and other pertinent factors that helped to show theeffects of the equal-pay policy were also secured. The data obtained on the eightestablishments were secured from statements made in interviews and were not based upon actual records or plant surveys.Case study on equal pay for equal work in Banks:The employment of women in anything but routine clerical jobs was recent in bothof the banks visited, dating back only to World War II. At that time, the banksstarted hiring women for such jobs as tellers, teller-trainees, junior examiners, andIBM operators. One bank started paying women hired for such jobs at the samerates as men from the beginning. The other at first paid lower rates to such women but, as all salaries were raised, equalized men's and women's rates. Managementof both banks felt that the equal-pay policy was just, and there was a feeling thatit might have resulted in a greater interest in their work on the part of women.Industry: Retail - Department store.Employment: Approximately 2,650 full-time selling and non-selling staff, about 65 percent women. Also 400 part-time selling staff, mostly women.Union: independent Present status of equal pay State law: Discrimination in the rate of pay because of sex is prohibited. Domesticand farm labor and non-profit organizations exempt. Law adopted in 1944.Union contract: "The Employer shall continue the past policy of no discriminationagainst any employee because of union activity, sex, race, creed, color or political belief."Present wage and occupational structure: In 1938, based on a 30b evaluation, allselling and non-selling jobs were classified into 11 grades without sex differential.Later all jobs were reclassified, and 3 regular grades were established, plus 1 gradefor higher-level jobs at individual rates. The bulk of the jobs are in grades A and B,the two lower grades. Occupational distribution by sex Most jobs are in grades A and B. Although both men and women are found inmany departments, there are certain departments where either men or women areentirely excluded or are in a minority because of the nature of the work or becauseof tradition. For instance, there is only one woman in the furniture department, ahigh-paying department with substantial commissions. Traditionally, men have been employed in this department, and because of low turnover, there are fewopportunities for new people to move into the department. The woman who nowworks there earns as much as $9,000 to $10,000 per year.
Packing is divided into light and heavy packing and women do only the lighter packing, handling articles that weigh a maximum of 10-12 pounds. These womenare called semi bulk packers; men, at a higher rate of pay, do the bulk packing.However, the packing done by women involves much handling of small, fragilearticles that require careful handling and packing.In the office, most of the higher-level administrative jobs are held by men. All of The window trimmers are men. Women are not employed as trimmers, partly because night-work legislation prevents their working the late hours necessary for this work, and partly because the work involves much heavy lifting. However, thereis a woman display stylist who has the same rating, in the grade D classification, asthe display trimmers. Another woman is employed as a retouch artist, also in thegrade D classification. Development of Equal Pay Policy There has been a trend in the department stores in this area to pay women thesame rates as men when they do the same work. Consequently, by the time thefirst union contract was negotiated in 1936, the equal-pay policy was wellestablished in this store, as the wording of the nondiscrimination clause indicates:"The Employer shall continue the past policy of no discrimination against anyemployee because of sex.Although equal pay has not been an issue at this store, there has been and is therelated problem of equal opportunity. Women are not represented in proportionto their total number in the store in certain higher-paying jobs. Both managementand the union are aware of this situation, and both seem interested in correctingit. This, then, is a case in which there is a well-established equal-pay policy,initiated by management and supported by the union, and in which both areinterested in helping women to realize the full benefit? of such a policy by permitting them to advance to high-paying jobs in which they are not yet fullyrepresented. Advantages of Equal Pay Both management and the union fully endorsed the policy of paying men andwomen equally for the same work. The equal-pay policy has come to be taken for granted by the company and, as far as management is concerned, problems of wage administration is much lessened with a single rate structure. It was felt by both management and the union that it was only fair that women be paid the samerate as men when they do the same work, and that the policy has been successful.https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/files/docs/publications/women/cstudiesequalpay_dolwb_1951.pdf
Case Study 2:This report was written by a research team led by Kellie McElhaney and Genevieve Smith,including Nitisha Baronia and Krupa Adusumilli.The paper was commissioned by Gap Inc.. As of 2017, women made up nearly half of the workforce in the United States, however thefemale-to-male earning ratio was around 0.79 for the same job. This wage gap persists due to social andcultural norms and unconscious bias. In the year 2014 Gap Inc. was the first Fortune 500 company toannounce that male and female counterparts are paid equally. When it was compared- the pay of themedian male and median female full-time employee, the female to male ratio was at parity, signifyingsimilar representation of women and men at all levels of leadership.Gap Inc. is a company from which others can look to for lessons in furthering their own efforts for equal pay and supporting women to rise in the ranks. While Gap has demonstrated itself as a leader in thisspace, there is always space to grow or progress. Gap paved the way for other companies to follow suit. Methodology This paper was developed through an extensive literature review, analysis of Gap pay data, and interviewswith Gap employees, including members of its executive team. The first section outlines definitions andcomplexities of equal pay and explores important key concepts, delving into the state of pay that perpetuates unequal pay. The second section of the paper explores gender wage equality at Gapspecifically.The final section highlights key lessons learned through the literature review, interviews, anddata analysis by the researchers. Background Equal pay can be explored in many ways. The first is to compare the average salaries that women andmen earn across an organization, at all levels. Second, one can compare average male and female pay ateach level in the organizational hierarchy across all functional verticals, looking at pay gaps within eachtier no matter what their functional division is. This also arbitrates the leadership representation gap.Third, one can compare equal pay for work of “equal or comparable value”. The third seems the mostdetailed pay gap analysis and it is at this level of analysis that the gender wage gap often seems mostnarrow. Beyond looking at the level of work, the gender pay gap can be further decomposed intomeasurable and often difficult to measure components. Regardless of the measurable components thewage gap persists- representing discrimination. Two forms of pay gap analysis reveal equal pay a Gap Gap had conducted two forms of pay gap analysis: (1) Ratio of pay for full-time employees(male-female),not controlling any variables.- The median female to male pay ratio was at parity. The average beingslightly lower for women. However, this was representative of the fact that Gap had a higher percentageof women at entry-level positions. Moving into more senior positions in headquarters, the percentage of women and men evened out.
(2) Ratio of pay for all male and female employees, considering measurable factors.- The findings werestatistically validated by an external management firm, On average, gender pay rate differences across all jobs at Gap Inc. were not found to be meaningful or statistically significant globally or within any of their major regions. While there had been minor fluctuations by level over the past 3 years, the results wereconsistent. Unpacking unequal pay Cultural and social barriers Many women who participate in the job market tend to self-select for lower paying, part-time, and/or flexible jobs or stay out of the job market due to unpaid care, household work, and other responsibilities.Part-time work enables flexibility but often at the cost of lower hourly pay.Many women face a “motherhood penalty,” or difference in earnings between women with and withoutchildren, that can be quantified, the gender pay gap increases steeply during childbearing and childrearingyears. Occupational segregation Academic sorting and choices in education lead to “occupational segregation” when girls become older.Female university graduates remain less likely to receive STEM degrees and are also more likely to work in sectors that have lower average pay and are also curbed by social norms. This pay gap exists withsignificant variation in all industries. Interestingly, female-dominated industries – such as healthcare,social assistance– have particularly high gender pay gaps. Research thus highlights that employers have placed a lower value on work done by women. Employment in lower-level positions No matter the sector, women tend to be employed in lower-level positions. There is a persistent gender gap at higher ranks of management and leadership. Data of Fortune 500 companies from 2011 revealedthat while women were nearly half of managers, they were only 14.3% of executive officers, 3.8% of CEOs, and hold 16.6% of board seats. Research revealed that the largest gender pay gap was inhigher-paying white collar jobs. Low representation is due to barriers that prevent the women’sadvancement.Lower proportions of women in managerial and leadership roles further adds to pay and promotion gaps, because the promotions are given by managers to those who seem to match with their own characteristics.This is referred to as ‘ingroup favouritism’. Personal and psychological traits Research showed that men placed a higher value on money, have greater self esteem, are less risk averse,more competitive, more self-confident, and more disagreeable than women. These factors contribute tothe wage gap. Discrimination & unconscious bias Discrimination and unconscious bias play a major role, accounting for an estimated 38% of the persistinggender wage gap overall.
Why should companies care? Achieving equal pay at the organisational level signifies a shift in the company's femalerepresentation to higher levels. Diverse teams are more intelligent, effective, and innovative.Firms with a higher proportion of women in top positions have a higher return on assets.Gender diversified workforces do really perform better financially: according to a 2015McKinsey study, organisations in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15% more likely togenerate financial returns above their respective national industry averages. Furthermore, evenwithin tightly defined industries, companies with a higher proportion of women in senior positions have significantly higher return on assets (ROAs). Taking a closer look at Gap Inc. It reveals learnings and recommendations for how companies can achieve equal pay. Gap'sculture, practices and policies support women in management and leadership positions. Thecompany's robust pay process empowers managers with data and market information to helpmanagers make informed decisions. Factors Supporting Equal Pay A variety of factors have contributed to Gap having a high representation of women andachieving equal pay, such as the heritage story, role model impact, female representation,mentorship and sponsorship, employee networking and engagement, and flexible schedules andother family-friendly policies according to an analysis by the company's diversity and inclusionstrategy team. Genderequality is part of thecompany’s “Heritage Story” Gap was formed on the principles of equality. Interviews with Gap leadership highlighted aculture with traditionally feminized leadership characteristics. The company was alsoconsistently described as values-driven. This heritage story has stuck with the company andinfluenced principles and accompanying practices. Role models of women in leadership help recruit and retain women At Gap, 53% of the CEO's leadership team (8 of 15) are women, and 80% of brand presidents (4of 5) are female. A Catalyst survey found that 64% of women see the absence of role models as a barrier to their career development. In Norway a requirement was introduced in 2006 that publiccompanies fill their boards with 40% women. Having women at all levels may contributetowards a culture in which men are accepting of women as leaders. This may create a cyclicaleffect of gender equality and inclusion.
The benefits of high female representation Research shows that when women are more highly represented at higher ranks, women at thelower ranks fare better in.terms of representation and wages. Women make up 75% of employees globally, ensuring astrong female pipeline. This representation does not extend to the board of directors, wherewomen comprise 27% (or 3 of 11) members. However, this is still above the average of16.6%women on Fortune 500 boards. Mentorship &sponsorship supports women to rise through the ranks Women in leadership have the ability to mentor and sponsor other women, as well as affect policy and cultural change. A 2016 study found that 63% of women who had mentors in theworkplace said their mentor was another woman. This number rises to 72% for millennialwomen. Gap President Sally Green is one of the trailblazers who helped change the company to be more accommodating for women with children. Women in leadership have historically askedabout, observed, and understood what other women need – and acted on this information. Gap'sCFO Sabrina Simmons says she has never asked for a raise, but her salary has risen "purely based on outperformance". One female executive shared that she has consistently received promotions despite feeling like she was barely managing work and motherhood. Flexible working schedules are available and taken – even by leadership Family-friendly policies have a critical role to play in enhancing female representation at higher levels of a company. In 2009, Gap Outlet implemented a pilot program offering flexiblescheduling. Salesforce introduced a gradual return program that offers new parents the flexibilityto work reduced hours – still at full pay. The Gap has made efforts to improve schedulingstability and flexibility for store employees by providing advance notice of work schedules andeliminating unpredictable on-call shifts. "It's no one's business what you are doing as long as youare getting your work done," says Bobbi Silten, vice president of Global Talent andSustainability. Flexible schedules aren't just important for women, but for all employees and for leadership. Supporting new parents and providing care Gap Inc. is one of only a few retail companies offering enhanced maternity pay to both parents inthe UK. Gap Japan offers flexible working options and summer hours that give employees moreautonomy. The company has several support mechanisms in regards to child and elderly care. Groups support employee engagement, networking and reflection Gap has a Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Council that guides the company's D&I strategy.Companies need to be aware of and work to combat maternity/paternity leave bias. Only 29% of organizations give their managers training on unconscious bias related to the subject. There aresix BRGs, one of which is focused specifically on women:. Women in Leadership(WIL).
WIL was a method of "upping the game," says Dan Henkle. 100% of moms have returned towork at Patagonia after an on-site child care center. Conduct regular pay equity reviews and empower managers Gap has eliminated performance ratings, which can have gender biases baked into them.Managers are provided with a distribution of employee pay in the target range. A promotion/equity budget is a part of the overall annual pay increase budget and can be used toaddress equity issues. Additional best practices Gap does not require job applicants to provide prior salary information, although it is optional.By not providing prior salaries, an employee's salary may not be anchored to his/her prior salaries. Applicants who have been unfairly compensated for their skill and experience in past positions tend to have relatively low incomes.Employees at Gap are not able to access or see specific pay range information unless their managers choose to share that information. Gap also publishes the company's compensation practices on GapWeb (the Company's intranet site), which employees can access if they wish tounderstand the firm's pay practices. Discussion Gap has been successful in supporting women through the ranks, which is critical to equal pay atthe organizational level. Women in leadership serve as role models serving to inspire and helpretain women at all levels of the company. Gap has also had an impact on the development of maternity policies and flexible work practices. Recommendations to improve practices at Gap ● Gap can enhance its maternity policy and offer paid, non-transferable paternity leave. Thecompany could also build out training for managers on unconscious bias related tomaternity/paternity leave. ● Gap's high female representation has created a "highly female culture," and interviewsrevealed that there have been circumstances in which men feel left out. Efforts shouldensure that micro-inequities do not disadvantage or ostracize male employees, but rather include them in discussions and strategies. ● Gap could move further away from encouraging applicants to provide prior salaries.Transparent compensation programs so that all employees understand what others are paid. Managers could then discuss with employees why they are at a certain pay rangelevel. Employees could be empowered to ask for raises when they feel they are deserving. Standardizing equalpay language and efforts
"Equal pay" can be explored in a variety of ways. There is not a standard set of factors to controlfor in analyses. The definition of "work of equal or comparable value" is unclear. More researchand an open-source, standard methodology for conducting pay analysis are needed. Conclusion This analysis looks specifically at a sector that has high female participation and explores acompany culture that enabled women to rise in the ranks: one that diminishes psychological barriers through role models, mentorship and sponsorship that overcome traditional risk aversionand lower confidence that women have which may impact pay and moving into leadership ranks.Gap is one of the few companies in the US that has a robust system in place to analyze pay dataannually, and provide information to managers in order to empower them. While one may shrugoff their achievement of equal pay to attribute it to the sector, recall that female-dominatedsectors have higher wage disparities. Gender equality after all, is not a final destination that can be won, but an ongoing, fluid process and journey requiring steadfast commitment. https://www.icrw.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Eliminating-the-Pay-Gap-Kellie-McElhaney-and-Genevieve-Smith.pdf
Photo montage - Heetej, Shagun and Vanshika
Equality “Gender equal society would be one where the word ‘ gender’ does not exist ;where everyone can be just themselves.” ~ Cloria Steniem
These photos depict a strong message for gender equality at the workplace and how we want equal pay for equal work. Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. There has been significant progress over the last decades. More girls are going to school, fewer girls are forced into early marriage, more women are serving in parliament and positions of leadership, and laws are being reformed to advance gender equality, but still we haven’t reached till the top and still are hoping for more in the future. We don’t have to just pay thewomen equally in the corporate world but also trust and respect them equally.
TOP 3 MOTIVATIONS
Right to abortion: In today’s current issues, abortion is a controversial subject with millions of people opposing it. Every woman has the right to make decisions about her own physical body, and those rights should not be taken away, according to the constitution. Forcing a woman to undergo a life-threatening unsafe abortion threatens her right to life. It is widely acknowledged that in countries in which abortion is restricted by law, women seek abortions clandestinely, often under conditions that are medically unsafe and therefore life-threatening. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 21.6 million women had unsafe abortions in 2008, which lead to the deaths of nearly 47,000 women. The incidence of unsafe abortion is closely associated with high maternal mortality rates. Therefore, laws that force women to resort to unsafe procedures infringe upon women’s right to life. Right to live differently: The right to personal identity is recognized in international law through a range of declarations and conventions. From as early as birth, an individual's identity is formed and preserved by registration or being bestowed with a name. However, personal identity becomes more complex as an individual develops a conscience. Despite the complexity of personal identity, it is preserved and encouraged through privacy, personality rights, and the right to self-expression. Every person in this world has their way of thinking or acting. Every person should act as they like and how they like; it isn’t anyone’s right to control a person. Being unique is the best way to express your personality and just be yourself for once. Right to gender equality: Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender. On a global scale, achieving gender equality also requires eliminating harmful practices against women and girls, including sex trafficking, femicide, wartime sexual violence, gender wage gap,and other oppression tactics. UNFPA stated that "despite many international agreements affirming their human rights, women are still much more likely than men to be poor and illiterate. They have less access to property ownership, credit, training, and employment. This partly stems from the archaic stereotypes of women being labeled as child-bearers and homemakers, rather than the breadwinners of the family.They are far less likely than men to be politically active and far more likely to be victims of domestic violence." “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” and that “everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, birth or other status.”
ACTIVITY 2
Abortion The term abortion is derived from the Latin word “abortio” which means to abort. It is the clinical process of removing the fetus or embryo from the uterus to end the pregnancy. It takes place in the first six months of pregnancy. There are two significant forms of abortion they are spontaneous abortion which refers to a miscarriage and the induced abortion, which is performed purposefully. Abortion is a very sensitive topic in our country and many people still look down on it. . There have been laws that have allowed it as well as banned it during different periods.Medical abortions are carried out in two ways, which involve drugs and the second way is the surgical operation that involves an invasive procedure. It has been estimated that one out of three women are tending to undergo an abortion by the time they reach 45 years of age. Some end up having multiple abortions. Significant numbers of abortions are due to unintended pregnancies and are used as a form of birth control. It has been calculated that 88.6% of abortions are done in the first trimester of pregnancy, 10.2% in the second trimester and 1.1% in the third trimester. There are different positions based on the issue of abortion. The first extreme position belongs to the supporters who believe in preserving life and would ban abortion in all circumstances. They think that the government does not encourage the destruction of the embryo or the fetus. On the other extreme are the advocates of free-choice, where they believe that it should be the mother who should have the absolute right to decide between keeping the baby or aborting it. All pregnant women have the right to request an abortion. The intermediate position is held by those people who believe that abortion is permissible only in certain circumstances, like only when the pregnancy is dangerous for the mother who would result in maternal death or pregnancy caused by rape. A vast controversy lies between the ideas of abortion and anti-abortion. It has also indulged political and religious views in it. People with different customs, beliefs, and cultures have their own ideas and own takes on abortion. Thoughts against abortions can lead to violent impacts and riots outside abortion clinics. Abortion tends to discuss with one’s interaction where ethics, emotions, medical, and law comes into place together. The end of an embryo, before it can live in the outside world, the killing of human life is a contradiction to the norms of the society according to many. However, abortion is badly affecting our society today. Many think that abortion is the deliberate termination of human pregnancy. They believe it is taking away life from something that deserves a chance to live. Most people have abortions because they are financially unstable or unwillingness to be a single mother or problems in relationships and these are perfectly justified reasons. All things considered no law should have the power to tell a woman what decisions can make about her own body.
COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION
Our video conference went smoothly despite the language barrier. We had an informal talk instead of a formal one since the other school was a little underprepared. The other school's frequent postponing of the video conference proved inconvenient. The pupils on the other end of the video conference appeared to be a little reserved at first, but as the chat progressed, they opened up and we had an enriching conversation. Unfortunately, owing to the pandemic, the student exchange could not take place, but it was still a fantastic and memorable learning experience for all of us.
REFLECTIONS OF ALL THE TEAM MEMBERS
Shagun: The EUMIND project was a very interesting experience for me and I was excited about the idea since the very first meeting. This project taught many new things to me like how to make new friends and leadership qualities. We also learned through the process how to communicate, how to divide our work, how to approach a difficulty and to solve it. We planned our tasks very well through video calls and made sure all the work was presented before our given deadline. It was a very fun experience interacting with the students of Leconte de Lisle and learning about their cultures. Overall it was a very memorable experience for me and one definitely to remember!
Nikhil: The EUMIND project was an extremely new concept to me, but after having the last call with my fellow team members, I can say with certainty that I learned something useful from each of the sessions we've had. Eumind has genuinely assisted me in reflecting on various aspects of human rights. . We were able to meet all of our deadlines without any disappointment or issue. If given another chance to participate in this program, I'd definitely do it.
Heetej: Eumind has been a very thoughtful and helpful experience, which showed me the view of a place I have never seen, but after meeting the people, I can safely assume that it is a lovely place with a very unique culture of its own. Although there was a language difference, that did not stop us from interacting with one another, just showing how language is a barrier that can be evaded if we are on the same wavelength, which I can say we were. The discussion about fundamental human rights was really helpful as well, as getting views of people from a different area and perspective always helps. The students of our partner school, Leconte De Lisle, were very nice as well, and we could also have informal discussions about sports, cinema and literature. It was a very fun experience, and I hope to keep in touch with them even after Eumind ends.
Divyanshi: EUMIND is an extremely insightful and unique experience which gives you a global perspective. It’s a wonderful approach as to how differences in cultures and languages do not necessarily lead to differences in opinions and how sometimes the same culture does not mean similar opinions and choices. It’s a wonderful interactive way to learn about how expected things can also be a surprise. The language barrier with our partner school did not cause a hindrance in our views on fundamental human rights.
Anvesha: Eumind has been an amazing experience for me personally and I will always cherish being given the opportunity to be a part of this program. During this project I had an opportunity to learn so much and experience many different sides of what goes into a project. The activities and the assignments we had were fun and I got to learn so much about our topic- equal pay for equal work through them. I really enjoyed getting to know my partner school through the zoom call. Even though we didn’t interact much, we got to know about the human rights situation in Re‘union Island. I really wish it could have been offline and we could meet them in person so that we could interact more but I am still very grateful that eumind could take place this year. We even kept in touch after the meeting through WhatsApp and I am looking forward to a second meeting!!
Vanshika: Eumind has been a really great and fun experience for me. Even Though we were online for most part of the project we managed to have regular video calls to make sure that we completed and submitted our work before our deadline. Our video call experience with our partner school ‘Leconte De Lisle’ was really fun as well our conversation with them was more casual than formal, it focused on a lot of topics which were, firstly our eumind topics and then some casual topics like, football, their favorite books, movies, any musical instruments any one of us played etc. Overall it was an amazing and fun experience.