Faculty, students to speak out about gender pay gap in campus forum

Women's History Month at Radford University will culminate with a day-long event focused on the gender pay gap, one of the most important issues facing women today.

Departments from across Radford’s campus, including the Center for Gender Studies, the departments of Psychology and Sociology, and the Scholar-Citizen Initiative are joining to present "Gender Pay Gap: a Day of Talks & Workshops" on Monday, March 31.

Estimates state that American women make 77 cents to the dollar for doing the same job as a male counterpart. Radford faculty members and students will examine this phenomenon and ask the question "is she worth less?"

"Many people probably think the gender pay gap is a problem that has already been solved, but that is not the case," said Hilary Lips, professor, psychology department chair and director of the RU Center for Gender Studies. "Our students will confront this gap as they graduate and begin fulltime employment."

Lips is joined in organizing the event by Assistant Professor of Sociology Carla Corroto and students Kasey Campbell, a senior from Lebanon, Va., and Rori Holford, a senior from Roanoke.

From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., there will be multiple talks, workshops and hands-on information stations in Muse Banquet Hall. Faculty from political science, psychology, criminal justice, art and history will present several times through the day to accommodate the schedules of the greater RU community.

Talks will include:

  • "The Gender Pay Gap through History" by Mary Ferrari, history (10:15 a.m., 2:30 p.m.)
  • "Salary Injustice? An Examination of the gender gap in pay in criminal justice professions" by Lori Ellis, criminal justice (11 a.m., 12 p.m.)
  • "The Pink Paycheck Problem: Addressing the Gender Gap in STEM Fields" by Sara O'Brien, biology (11:30 a.m.)
  • "The Amazingly Persistent Gender Pay Gap" by Hilary Lips, psychology (12:30 p.m.)
  • "Getting Into Museums: the Art of the Gender Pay Gap" by Roann Barris, art (1:15 p.m.)
  • "The Myth of Women 'Opting Out'" by Carla Corroto, sociology (1:30 p.m.)

Workshops will include:

  • "Know What You're Worth" by Alyssa Archer, McConnell Library (10:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 3:30 p.m.)
  • "Salary Negotiation: Having the Conversation" from Career Services (1:15 p.m., 3 p.m.)
  • "How Much is Enough? Income and Lifestyle" by Beth Lyman, sociology (2 p.m.)

In addition to the talks and workshops, hands-on information sessions from Career Services and McConnell library will run the entire day. From 11:45 a.m. through 12:30 p.m., Tanya Corbin, assistant professor of political science, will present a session on citizen activism and the pay gap.

All events are open to the public and visitors are free to attend as few or as many of the events as they wish.

For more information about RU events in recognition of Women's History Month, visit the Women's Studies program blog.

Mar 26, 2014