Big Employee Gender Rights News Arrives From Mississippi And Philadelphia

The year 2016 brought plenty of unexpected changes to the nation. A new (arguably surprising) President was voted in, as well as significant changes in how we view, classify, and treat the hardworking employees in companies big, small, and independent. Emerging new business like the gig economy showed the diversity of how Americans make their money, while new anti-discrimination laws showed the depths of worker equality. While collectively the country has made significant strides in labor progress, the city of Philadelphia and the state of Mississippi have their own changes on the horizon for employees and their rights, particularly women.

Like other places in America, in Philadelphia, the application process for employment has been a work in progress since last year. 2016 saw the elimination of past arrests and convictions on a job application. Now, current salary and past salary information has been removed as well. In January, Philly mayor Jim Kenney signed off on a wage equity ordinance, prohibiting salary history. Other states like Massachusetts have incorporated this into their own employment process, but Philadelphia is the first to do so as a city. It stems from the gender wage gap, where women have earned only 79 cents for every dollar that men have earned. While the ordinance will go into effect on May 23^rd of this year, it also broadens the definition of “wages” to include commissions and even fringe benefits. Prospects do not have to reveal any of this information nor can they be disqualified from the employment process for failing to do so.

Wages and gender are also a hot topic in Mississippi. In January as well, the state proposed House Bill No. 9, also called the Evelyn Gandy Fair Pay Act. This act, named after the first female Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, exists to prohibit gender wage discrimination. While this isn’t the first time a bill has been introduced to enforce fair pay, should this bill become a law, it will be a huge step in wage discrimination against women. This carried from decisions on salary to even other gender practices when it comes to employment. Though the latter is still quite a vague concept, the former suggests that women will no longer earn less than men in the state. While Mississippi has no other structured anti-discrimination laws, this will be the first for the state, should it be passed. It will also allow for up to two years of back pay in situations deemed as unlawful.

Here are two major steps in gender discrimination: one from a city, and one from a state, proving that change can happen on a local level before it hits nationwide.