Not until now

[maninkirt]

Up until now I have just been reading, hearing about womens emacipations, womens lib. That sort of things. I must say I didn´t care about it. I wasn´t interested. It didn´t make much differens to me. I have always thought men and women are equal. Well me stared living as a woman I know this isn´t always so. Talking about salaries with my colleagues it soon showed they earn more then me. The guys earns more then me. Why´s that? I do the same kind of work as them. I work the same amount of time as them. Can´t see why I shoulden´t get the same money. Ok I guess I´m not so good at talking about such things with my boss. I don´t like confrotation and I hate arguing. A few days ago I was talking to a female colleague, working as me as a consultant but in an other firm, about this. She too was earning less then her male colleagues. Just as I am. Living as a woman I´m perceived as a woman. This is all I have wanted, all my life and 99,9% of it its just good things happened with this but I´m a bit sad and dissipointe to know my colleagues, the guys are making more money then me. I was just woundering if others had this thing happened to them? My veiw on women´s emacipation, on women´s lib has suddenly changed.

[Bubba136]

maininkirt....this is a bunch of stuff. If your company hired you as a man, then you are still, for employment purposes, counted as a man unless you formally/legally changed your sex on your birth certificate and informed your personnel office that you were "now" a woman. Otherwize, your employer wouldn't have any reason to treat you as a "woman." I know it is apparently your choice to live as a female at this time but if you were hired to fill a position as a man, then you are still viewed as male as far as your employment is concerned. Granted, while you at work dressed like a woman or are away from your job and appearing in public as female, I wouldn't doubt that you are treated differently. So, if I were you, I would review my personnel file and verify what sex they have listed for you. Otherwise, your comment really doesn't make much sense to me.

[Firefox]

The salary differentials are mainly to do with more part time work and more career breaks undertaken by women. Also I believe the statistics show that women take more days off sick than men, but I'm prepared to be proved wrong on that.(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080204212846.htm)

We've had part time workers (male and female), and while it may work well for shelf stacking, in highly technical occupations where the projects are ongoing, and the project "expert" needs to be around, I can tell you it's less than efficient.

[maninkirt]

Thank´s for caring Bubba Guess its all my fault. Yes Bubba its my choise living as a female. Formal/legally I´m a man but having taking this choise living as a woman, I fell good having taken this sep. It might sounds strange, but I do. Its the best thing I have done. Me appearing as a woman both in my professional life and in private. My freinds, my colleagues, the management sees me as a woman, treat me as a woman and I´m very very greatful they do. I´m perceived as a woman, I´m accepted the way I am. I have heard from my female freinds and I have been reading about it too women can get a bit discriminated. Me and my female freinds has been talking about such things. They told me about it. I was a bit prepared, I knew how it works. Still its very sad when it happeneds and I coulden´t imagine it would happened to me too. Somehow Bubba I don´t feel I can arguing about this with my boss. I have too accept this. I have taken this step, living as a woman. I have to accept the pros and cons living as a woman. I have too accept the salary diffentials and all other things women of today have too accept. I don´t know this makes any sense to you but this is the way I feel. Hope you understand.

[maninkirt]

Firefox In my opinion and spending more and more time together with other women, speaking now and then about such problems, I know. Yes part time work is one reason for the salary differentials and career break too as you said, having children and so on. I guess you right. Still I think it a bit unfair. Forgive me Firefox, livinging as a women, spending more time together with other girl/women I can´t help having this feeling. Its a bit unfair. I don´t know if women are more sick than man. If the stastickties says so well I guess its true but I can´t say my femal freinds or my female colleagues are more often sick than men. I have a feeling women take more days off than man for to taking care of the children when they are sick. That´s why women are taking more days off from work, I think. At least that´s the way it is in Sweden and I guess its the same in many other countries too.

[kikepa]

I think part of the reasons companies are so secretive on the issue of salaries, and why they've lobbied so hard against revealing them is in part to remain competitive, but also in part to get away with sexual discrimination. If I negotiate a job then one day decide to walk in wearing heels, provided it doesn't violate the dress code, should I expect a salary reduction? I'd better be sure I'm working for a company that not only tolerates, but fully supports diversity.

[maninkirt]

kikepa I think you´re right no company would reveal this kind of discreminaton. Its bad for the company. Its bad publice for the company. An other reason why women gets dicreminated like this is women tends to give priorrity to the family, to the children, to the house work. Staying home with the children, taking care of the children, taking care of the house. That´s one of the reason and I guess its the biggest reason why we women, (yes I say "we women", I know formally/legaly I´m a man but I´ve chosen to live as a woman, I feel as a woman, I appear as a woman, I´m percieved as a woman and me too, yes I have been confrotated with this kind of discrimination too) often have to accept this salary differentials or being over looked at promotions. I think to some companies women are not that very attractive especially if she´s a mother too. That´s why women very often are over looked when its came to be promoted or get the salary risen. The management knows when dealing with to give a woman a pormotion, he has to consider if she has children and if they are small then there is an even bigger problem. She might have to stay at home now and then. My boyfreind tells me I should have stand up to my boss confronting him arguing with him, "why didn´t I got the same salary as my colleagues, the guys". Well its easy for Michael to say. I´m all alone there, its just me against my boss. I feel I can´t tell the guys about this. I´ve try but they don´t seemed to see this from my point of veiw. Somehow I don´t feel like arguing, its not my style.

[Elegant]

Why not join / organise a local feminist group? I've been active in one for a year and some months.

[maninkirt]

Elegant Sorry I haven´t reply until now. I have always thought men and women are equal. That is up to now. Living as a women I see we´re not. Its a bit sad it has to be this way 2009. I´m not much of a feminist. Guess I´m a bit as my mother and my sister in this. Joining a feminist group perhaps is a good idea. Its good talking about this kind of things to other women.