In 1968 at the Ford car plant in Dagenham in the UK, the female sewing machinists who made car seat covers went on strike. They argued that they ought to be paid more for their work, in line with male workers, saying that their work was just as valuable as the men’s.
It was a turning point in the discussion about women’s pay in the UK and eventually led to the passing of the Equal Pay Act in 1970. It stated that equal pay was due if the work done by the claimant is broadly the same, of equal value in terms of effort and skill and was evaluated the same. It followed in the footsteps of the Equal Pay Act in the US of 1963.
This week, the UAE Cabinet approved a new wage equality law although, as this newspaper reported, analysts suggest work will need to be done to achieve true equality.
The latest data from the UK’s Office for National Statistics shows that women who work full-time still earn 9 per cent less than their full-time male counterparts.Things seem even worse in the US. According to the American Association of University Women, half a century on women still only earn about 79 cents for every dollar that men earn.
According to the UN Population Fund, the pay gap is consistent around the world. Women earn 23 per cent less than men on average and it will take more than 70 years before the gap is closed.
The details of the Ford strike are instructive. While the headlines of history frame the incident as a demand for equal pay, the specifics demonstrate that "equal pay for equal work" can be easily subverted. The women were striking because their work had been recategorised into a level graded as less skilled than the work the men were doing, which meant a resultant lower pay. What they were asking for was for their work to be recognised at the same level of skill, which would then automatically result in equal pay. What they got instead was an agreement to increase their pay but there was no recognition of the calibre of their work. The subtext appears to be that because women were doing the work, it must be less skilled.
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Read more from Shelina Janmohamed:
Beauty is in the eye of the social media user – but it shouldn't be
Instead of maligning women who refuse to 'settle', let's encourage men to step up
Am I a supermum? More importantly, do I want to be?
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In a more recent example, last year the BBC's China editor Carrie Gracie resigned from her post, complaining that two female international editors were being paid 50 per cent less than their male counterparts despite doing the same job. Her work was regarded as being less significant and therefore worthy of lower pay despite her comparable experience, the enormity of her beat and the personal danger reporting under difficult circumstances.
All of that is before we tackle issues like the vast amount of free unrecognised labour such as housework and childcare that women provide into the marketplace. Women bear additional penalties simply as a cost of doing business. Childcare costs are often carried by women. Pressures are much higher on women to groom themselves in a particular way with fashion and cosmetics so that they are deemed to look acceptable for work and come with a financial implication.
Women find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle – already earning less due to the gender pay gap, exacerbated by the maternity penalty – families weigh up their finances and decide it makes more sense for the woman who earns less and bears more of the household burden to relinquish her work or take a part-time lower paid role. The move to sharing the workload better in the home goes hand-in-hand with better opportunities and equal pay in the workplace.
If we’ve learnt anything from the last 50 years, it is that, for complex reasons, the real shift in pay takes much longer to deliver.
Shelina Janmohamed is the author of Love in a Headscarf and Generation M: Young Muslims Changing the World
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
The years Ramadan fell in May
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
SPECS
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Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
RESULT
RS Leipzig 3
Marcel Sabitzer 10', 21'
Emil Forsberg 87'
Tottenham 0
