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Table of Contents
Focus Text: Luke 7:36-8:3
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.” Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “speak.” “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.
Related Texts
Additional Texts
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Philippians 4:1-3
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is not longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28
I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.
2 Timothy 1:3-5
Then God said, “Let us make humankind[c] in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:26-27
‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy
Acts 2:17-18
Other Lectionary Texts
- I Kings 21:1-10, 15-21a
- II Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15
- Psalms 32 & 5:1-8
- Galatians 2:15-21
Scriptural Commentary on Luke 7:36-8:3
The unnamed woman in this story is one of several unlikely examples of faithfulness in Luke 7 alone. Like the Roman centurion earlier in this chapter, a non-Jewish man who nevertheless confesses Jesus as “Lord” (v. 6), this woman shows us what a faithful response to Jesus looks like. She does so in open defiance of Jesus’ dinner hosts here, the religious elites and experts of their time. The Pharisees themselves do not recognize Jesus for who he is and consider themselves morally superior to this interloper. Yet her faithfulness effectively “schools” and even shames the people who should theoretically know better than anyone else what life with God looks like. Her story serves as a caution to any of us who would think we have nothing to learn about God from those on the margins of political, social, economic, and religious power, as this woman would have been. It is the one labelled as outcast and “less-than” by her social betters, after all, who is able to recognize who Jesus is. Her tale also invites us to consider that worship and praise of God may not be as “respectable” as we think it must be.
Many commentators have historically understood the female “sinner” in this story to be a prostitute. The inference comes partly from the description of her as a sinner “in the city” (v. 37), which some take to indicate promiscuity. Moreover, some see other indicators of a “loose” woman: her long, unbound hair; the physical, tactile way in which she worships Jesus; and the introduction shortly after this story of a woman named Mary Magdalene, also commonly thought to be a prostitute. Yet this interpretation is by no means the only one. The woman’s long hair may mark her as lower-status rather than a prostitute, and no details in Mary Magdalene’s story support characterizing her as a prostitute, either. The impulse to label a woman’s sin as sexual may say more about how we often view women, particularly women known to be misbehaving, as primarily sexual beings or objects. This woman, like all of us, has a rich story and identity that goes far beyond her sexuality. The glimpse of her character that we get here tells us much more about faithful responses to Jesus’ redeeming work than it does about the specific nature of her sin.
The parable and explanation offered here can be confusing. If the one forgiven much loves much, is it better or necessary to sin much to love much? The point, though, is not necessarily that Jesus “ranks” sinners according to degrees of depravity. The “sinful” woman is no more or less virtuous than we are. She has simply realized her need for forgiveness in a way that the Pharisees, and oftentimes we today, do not. The woman approaches Jesus boldly and on her own initiative. She may weep from contrition or gratitude, but she is unafraid of being judged or rejected by Jesus. We can all learn from her fearlessness and vulnerability.
Moreover, she is completely unfazed by how Jesus’ hosts see her conduct. The Pharisees are self-appointed guardians of boundaries of all kinds, including those between men and women and between clean and unclean, yet she flagrantly violates these boundaries in front of them. She may very well know how these men judge her, yet she is unperturbed. She throws convention to the wind and loves with all she has, almost desperately, as if her life depended upon it. Her lavish devotion suggests her life does depend on Jesus, and that it has been transformed by him. May we all love Jesus so extravagantly.
Replace “Pastoral Reflection on Luke 7:36-8:3” with:
Once you start paying attention to it, it’s hard to stop noticing: women significantly outnumber men in church. Across denominations, age groups, and marital status, more women than men come to church; an average worshipping community is 61% female to 39% male. The imbalance is even more pronounced in some predominantly black churches, where women make up 85-90% of church membership and whose religious lives were given major focus in Beyonce’s new visual album Lemonade. Yet while women routinely organize and show up to church events, groups, and ministries, head pastor positions are overwhelmingly occupied by men. A recent leadership conference convened by the mostly black National Baptist Convention featured no women, though this phenomenon is by no means exclusive to historically black denominations. Despite their predominance in the pews, women are often shut out of formal leadership positions or discouraged from pursuing them in the first place.
Similar dynamics are at play in much of Luke’s Gospel. Women figure prominently as faithful disciples of Christ, whether as benefactors (8:3), attendants at his death (23: 27, 49, 55) or the first witnesses to his resurrection (24:1-11), yet their contribution is not always acknowledged by others or is outright rejected (24:11). Similarly, Luke 7:36-50 holds up a woman as a model of faithful discipleship, and yet her example is dismissed by the men in power. This is not to say that women in Luke’s Gospel and in the church today are universally pious and more faithful than men, or that all men fail to receive and lift up the work of women in the church. Yet trends today as well as in this Gospel point to the tendency of those in power in religious communities, most often men, to hold onto power rather than opening it up to “outsiders” like this woman who show the anointing of the Spirit. Hierarchies based on gender are reinforced rather than overturned.
Churches, like the Pharisees here, can respond to these gender dynamics and demographics in a variety of ways. One is to re-design church to make it more appealing to men, which can range from fairly benign aesthetic and logistical changes (e.g. re-scheduling activities to facilitate more male participation, designing worship spaces with more exposed beams and fewer flowers and pastel colors) to more ideological ones such as “‘promot[ing] a stereotype of muscular male behavior as the only correct godly way to be.’” Many theologians call this stereotype “muscular Christianity,” which combines notions of male “headship” over women with appeals to traditional (white) masculinity, such as the use of weapons. As former megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll once said, as if providing a motto for the muscular Christianity movement, “I cannot worship a guy I can beat up.” If “‘[w]e’ve wrapped the Gospel in this man-repellent package,’” in the words of another pastor, then perhaps the package needs to be un-wrapped to attract more men.
Yet such responses ignore what women’s spirituality can tell us about the Gospel, or how Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection challenge our ideas about what it means to be male, female, or something in-between. We can make the Gospel more masculine, or we can let the Gospel inform our understanding of what it means to be people of God, regardless of gender. For one thing, our traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity may actually be toxic to the Gospel (Driscoll’s comment above, for example, neglects the fact that in, all four Gospel accounts, Jesus does in fact get beat up and does not respond with physical violence). Jesus came preaching humility, compassion, repentance, and servant-leadership, several of which the woman in Luke 7:36-50 exemplifies. That we mostly associate these values with and teach them to our young women rather than men does not mean they are inherently female values, only that we have made them so. Such traits should not be considered exclusively “male” or “female,” but simply “Christian.”
We can make Jesus more of a “manly man,” or we can shape all people, regardless of gender identity, to be more Christ-like. Our understanding of what it means to be male or female (which already leaves out those who do not identify clearly with either one) can inform our relationships with Jesus, or it can be transformed by our encounters with the living Lord. We can do the latter by lifting up men and women in equal measure as leaders in our communities. We must make sure that the often silenced and dismissed voices of the people who predominate in our congregations, like the voice of this unnamed woman in Luke 7, are actually heard, and that those people be given a serious and even determinative role in church decision-making.
Yet what is at stake here? Why is it important for churches to lift up female leadership in order to shape all people, regardless of gender, to be followers of Christ? For one thing, gender inequality characterizes much of political, social, and economic life in the U.S. (see Key Facts). In this election cycle, male political candidates have discussed women as accessories whose worth or fitness for office hinges on their attractiveness. Despite outpacing men in graduating from college and receiving higher degrees (areas in which commentators and policy-makers rightly hold that we must help young men and boys catch up), women continue to be underrepresented in corporate, political, and religious leadership. Their salaries lag behind as well, even for the same work. Our wider culture is crying out for transformation. The church can lead the way, especially given the powerful role that congregations can play in shaping children, teens, and young adults. The powerful example of the woman who “has shown great love” (Luke 7:47) can help us do just that.
Yet even this story, for all its radical implications about relationships between male elites and the rest of us, falls prey to some of the patriarchal temptations of Luke’s day and of our own. Though the woman is held up as an example of faith, she never speaks. Her voice is not heard. As you reflect on this passage in preparation for preaching, consider these questions: What would this woman have said, if she was given a voice here? How might she preach this sermon? What might her story be? For male preachers who have a hard time imagining the answers to these questions, ask the women in your lives what they think. Chances are, you’ll have plenty of Christ-loving women to talk to.
by Hana Suckstorff, Duke Divinity School graduae and former Council intern
Pastoral Reflection on Luke 7:36-8:3
Our understanding of what it means to be male and female (and something in-between) can inform our relationships with Jesus, or it can be transformed by our encounters with the living Lord. We can do the latter by lifting up men and women in equal measure as leaders in our communities. We must make sure that the often silenced and dismissed voices of the people who predominate in our congregations, like the voice of this unnamed woman in Luke 7, are actually heard, and that those people be given a serious and even determinative role in church decision-making.”
by Hana Suckstorff, Duke Divinity School graduate and former Council intern
Worship Aids about Gender Equality
Responsive Reading
Come and celebrate God who calls women to tend the flame.
Did not our hearts burn within us?
Come and celebrate the courage of women who heard their call and, with a fire in their bones, stepped out of the shadow.
Did not our hearts burn within us?
Come and celebrate the lives of women who, even in their mountaintop experiences, never forgot their valleys.
Did not our hearts burn within us?
Come and celebrate the work of women who recognized the risen Lord in the breaking of bread and in the opening of scripture.
Did not our hearts burn within us?
Come and celebrate the perseverance of women who are still struggling to have their gifts recognized by their churches.
Did not our hearts burn within us?
Come and celebrate women who paved the road to ordination for others and encourage us to work for those who will follow.
Did not our hearts burn within us?
Amen.
(by Su Yon Pak, from “Celebrate the Gifts of Women,” PCUSA, www.pcusa.org/women/celebratethegifts/celebrate06.pdf)
A Litany of Remembrance
Let us remember and give thanks for faithful women of God, that their lives may inspire ours.
For Miriam, prophet who led the women of Israel in rejoicing at their deliverance from Egypt;
For the unnamed woman who acted as prophet and anointed Jesus before his burial;
God of abundant life,
We give you thanks.
That we may claim our gifts of leadership and have courage to announce your truth by our words and actions, God of graceful power,
We offer our prayer.
For women mystics of the Middle Ages: for Hildegard of Bingen, Teresa of Avila, and Julian of Norwich, who used many names and images to praise you and tell of your goodness and love;
God of abundant life,
We give you thanks.
That we may know you more deeply and praise you as one God with many names;
God of graceful power,
We offer our prayer.
For the women of this country who fought against slavery and worked for justice for all people: for Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks; for the women who struggled for women’s rights: for Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony;
God of abundant life,
We give you thanks.
That we may be empowered to strive for justice and peace among all people;
God of graceful power,
We offer our prayer.
Amen.
(Adapted from “Litany of Remembrance” by Rev. Dr. Ruth A. Meyers, Women’s Uncommon Prayers, Geitz, Burke, Smith, editors, Council of Women’s Ministries of
the Episcopal Church USA, Morehouse Publishing, 2000, p. 340.)
Truth and Falsehood
IT IS NOT TRUE that women should feel and experience that being a woman is of secondary value to the community.
THIS IS TRUE that women are created women, in the image of God, co-workers with God in caring for life, in struggling for the liberations of humanity and for a world order that respects each one’s dignity.
IT IS NOT TRUE that women–and men–must remain divided by sexism, racism, economic injustices and imperialism.
THIS IS TRUE that all women and men are called to be in solidarity with each other’s struggle for dignity and justice, to learn from one another and to challenge one another as sisters and brothers in critical and prophetic solidarity.
IT IS NOT TRUE that becoming a refugee is acceptable and inevitable for millions of women and their children.
THIS IS TRUE that the whole people of God are called to denounce militarism, to challenge the root causes of poverty in the name of the God of Hagar, who as a refugee was the first person who dared to give God a name.
IT IS NOT TRUE that women should accept rape and incest, battering and humiliation, as the fate of women.
THIS IS TRUE that Jesus Christ has come into the world to heal the broken community between women and men, to restore our sense of self, dignity and inclusion.
IT IS NOT TRUE that young girls should not be given the opportunity to learn to read, to write, and to analyze the developments of their countries.
THIS IS TRUE that everyone is called to respond to the gift of life and to the needs of our community with all our heart, all our soul and all our reason.
IT IS NOT TRUE that sexual slavery, bondage and prostitution cannot be counteracted or eliminated.
THIS IS TRUE that Jesus Christ has come into the world to overturn the tables of injustice, that women and men, empowered by the Holy Spirit, should challenge poverty and patriarchal culture.
IT IS NOT TRUE that women and men cannot live in mutual and just relationships, respecting one another’s integrity and personhood.
THIS IS TRUE that God the Creator has given us the responsibility and trust to care for all of creation in humility and faithfulness, to work and to love as co-creators of God.
Amen.
Suggested Hymns about Gender Equality
Christ, From Whom All Blessings Flow
United Methodist Hymnal 550
African Methodist Episcopal Hymnal 529
Faith of Our Mothers
African Methodist Episcopal Hymnal 430
Christian Methodist Episcopal Hymnal 193
Help Us To Accept Each Other
Chalice Hymnal (Disciples of Christ) 487
United Methodist Hymnal 560
Presbyterian Hymnal 358
African Methodist Episcopal Hymnal 558
New Century Hymnal (United Church of Christ) 388
Of Women and Women’s Hopes We Sing
Chalice Hymnal (Disciples of Christ) 686
We Are Your People
New Century Hymnal (United Church of Christ) 309
Presbyterian Hymnal 436
Moravian Book of Worship 514
Quotes about Gender Equality
“Why is it important (to have a cabinet with an equal number of men and women)? Because it’s 2015.” Newly-elected Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, November 2015
“Though we have the courage to raise our daughters more like our sons, we’ve rarely had the courage to raise our sons like our daughters.” Gloria Steinem
“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” Malala Yousafzai
“I always get asked, ‘Where do you get your confidence?’ I think people are well meaning, but it’s pretty insulting. Because what it means to me is, ‘You, Mindy Kaling, have all the trappings of a very marginalized person. You’re not skinny, you’re not white, you’re a woman. Why on earth would you feel like you’re worth anything?’” Mindy Kaling
“I just love bossy women. I could be around them all day. To me, ‘bossy’ is not a pejorative term at all. It means somebody’s passionate and engaged and ambitious and doesn’t mind leading.” Amy Poehler
“Black women, historically, have been doubly victimized by the twin immoralities of Jim Crow and Jane Crow. … Black women, faced with these dual barriers, have often found that sex bias is more formidable than racial bias.” Pauli Murray
“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” G.D. Anderson
The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, “It’s a girl.”
Shirley Chisholm
You don’t have to be anti-man to be pro-woman.
Jane Galvin Lewis
Just as we fooled ourselves that the end of discriminatory laws would soon lead to racial harmony, so we thought that increased access to education, advancement and male-only arenas would erase the attitudes that have led some men to treat women like children, fools and punching bags.
Anna Quindlen
As all advocates of feminist politics know, most people do not understand sexism; or, if they do, they think it is not a problem. Masses of people think that feminism is always and only about women seeking to be equal to men. And a huge majority of these folks think feminism is anti-male. Their misunderstanding of feminist politics reflects the reality that most folks learn about feminism from patriarchal mass media.
bell hooks
Vignette about Gender Equality
The Changing Role of Women in NC Churches
The following is an anonymous true story about a Presbyterian woman’s experience within her church.
We started going to the Presbyterian church when I was in sixth grade. I loved it, everything about it. I knew early on that I wanted to work there. I can remember late at night preaching sermons as I went to sleep and, when the minister was preaching, saying things in my head, finding ways to say it better than he did.
As I grew up, I first thought, “I’ll need to be a minister’s wife, that’s what I’ll need to be. I’ll have to go find me a minister to marry.” Then it became, “Oh, I’ll be a missionary, because women can be missionaries.” Then our church hired a Director of Christian Education, so I was going to be a Director of Christian Education. That’s about where I was when I went off to college. In college, our campus Director of Christian Education went to seminary, and I also met my first associate female pastor. Immediately, I said, “That’s going to be me.”
I entered seminary and began dating a man who would eventually become my husband. While in seminary together, we each did our internship at the same church in Tennessee. I did one year, and he did the next. We were both studying feminist theology, and we had the exact same job title, exact same pay, everything. I was put under the direction of the associate pastor, who was a female and a great mentor to me. I was put in charge of the youth group. I did very little in the pulpit and went on some home visitations with her, but not much. At the end of the summer, I was given a beautifully hand made card, with pictures of me and the youth group, and a t-shirt.
The next summer, my boyfriend, doing the same internship, was put under the care of the senior pastor—a man, so it was not totally inappropriate—but that also meant that he was in the pulpit every Sunday. And he did visitation with the senior pastor and very little youth work. At the end of the summer, he was given an official letter of thanks from the session. How we were reinforced in that same position was very curious. I got the warm fuzzies but nothing formal or official. He didn’t get the warm fuzzies but got the formal. We thought about how we would both have liked both kinds of affirmations. Later, when we were married, even serving as co-pastors, we saw those kinds of reinforcements over and over.
One year, after I participated in the installation of a pastor in our town, one woman came up to me and said, “It was really neat to see a woman up there. You know, when you were up there, I thought: one day maybe our church should try to have a woman associate.” And I said, “Oh, I look forward to the day when you have a woman head of staff.” You would have thought I had hit her in the face. Her smile dropped, she took a step back, and the conversation finished. She walked away as if I had insulted her. It was as if there was only one box for a woman to be in.
A church in Chapel Hill has a female head of staff and often has female interns from Duke Divinity School. One Sunday they had a male as a guest preacher. One five year old leaned over and whispered, “Mom, can men be ministers too?” Often a parent will tell me a story about a child imitating me, for example, by wearing a scarf like a stole and saying, “Look, I’m like pastor P____.” That may mean that little girls—and little boys too—grow up knowing not only that they could be ministers, but that they could be whatever they want to be, and create their own image of what that is.
Edited from The Woman’s Coffeehouse of Spirit – Compiled by Evelyn Mattern, S.F.C.C.
Contacts & Resources for Gender Equality
www.ncwu.org
North Carolina Women United, a coalition of progressive organizations and individuals working to achieve the full political, social, and economic equality of all women across North Carolina. NCWU works to build women’s power through grassroots activism, community organizing, legislative advocacy, and engagement in the political process.
www.ncadmin.nc.gov/about-doa/divisions/council-for-women
North Carolina Council for Women & Domestic Violence Commission, an advocacy agency that is housed in the state’s Department of Administration. This agency advises the governor, the North Carolina legislature, and the state departments on the special needs of women in North Carolina by: identifying and assessing needs; collecting and distributing information about the status of women; acting as a resource for local Councils/Commissions for Women; collaborating with other groups and individuals working on behalf of women; identifying and assessing statewide needs, including domestic violence; and assuring that necessary services, policies, and programs are provided to those in need and strengthening existing programs.
www.womenwork.org
Women Work! is an innovative network of organizations that collaborate to provide high-quality leadership, tactical assistance and resources to members who educate, train and deliver support services that promote economic viability and employment.
www.wageproject.org
The WAGE Project, Inc is a non-profit organization established for one purpose: to end discrimination against women in the American workplace in the near future. To do that, WAGE inspires and helps working women to take the steps needed so that every woman is paid what she’s worth.
www.ncwo-online.org
National Council of Women’s Organizations is a nonpartisan, nonprofit umbrella organization of groups that collectively represent over ten million women across the United States. The only national coalition of its kind, NCWO is a tax-exempt organization with twenty years’ experience uniting American women’s groups. It was established in 1982 in response to the expiration of the deadline for ERA ratification. The NCWO’s ERA Task Force was established in 1999.
www.unwomen.org
United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women is grounded in the vision of equality of the United Nations Charter and advocates the improvement of the status of women of the world and the achievement of their equality with men. Aiming to ensure the participation of women as equal partners with men in all aspects of human endeavor, the Division promotes women as equal participants and beneficiaries of sustainable development, peace and security, governance and human rights. Its website contains a vast collection of resources centering upon women’s issues around the world.
www.unicef.org/gender
UNICEF is committed to leveling the playing field for girls and women by ensuring that all children have equal opportunity to develop their talents. We work to ensure that all babies receive the best start to life through gender-sensitive, integrated early childhood care. We work so that all children are afforded quality education, one that prepares them for a productive life.
www.nwhp.org
National Women’s History Project, an educational nonprofit organization. NWHP’s mission is to recognize and celebrate the diverse and historic accomplishments of women by providing information and educational materials and programs.
www.cbeinternational.org
Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE) is a nonprofit organization of Christian men and women who believe that the Bible, properly interpreted, teaches the fundamental equality of men and women of all racial and ethnic groups, all economic classes, and all age groups, based on the teachings of Scriptures. CBE equips believers by affirming the biblical truth about equality and justice. Thus all believers, without regard to gender, ethnicity, and class, are free and encouraged to use their God-given gifts in families, ministries, and communities.
www.rcwms.org
The Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South weaves feminism and spirituality into a vision of justice for the world. While it began to support and connect women who understand their lives and work as ministers, RCWMS now provides a wide variety of programs on feminism, faith, creativity, spirituality, and justice.
www.wnc-woman.com
Western North Carolina Woman, a print/online publication of Infinite Circles, Inc. The mission of Western North Carolina Woman is to celebrate the inherent strength, wisdom, and grace of women. The print publication and the resources available on the website provide a hub through which women can be interconnected, interdependent, and interactive. Articles and columns focus on creative problem solving and the sharing of ideas, information, inspiration, and joy.
Facts and Reflection about Gender Equality
- In 2015, women made on average 64% of what men made for similar work, placing 74th out of 145 countries for wage equality. The year before, women on average made 66% of what men made for similar work. http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/18/news/gender-pay-gap/
- The Institute for Pay Women’s Policy Research estimates that women in the U.S. will not achieve pay parity with men until 2059. http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/pay-equity-and-discrimination
- Median pay for women in 2014 was $39,621, compared to $50,838 for men, a difference of $10,762. Percentage-wise, median pay for women was approximately 78.6% of median pay for men. http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/the-gender-wage-gap-2014 Experts attribute the disparity to a variety of factors, such as the effects of having children on women’s careers and simply paying women less for the same work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsB1e-1BB4Y
- As of 2014, African American women made roughly 64% of what white men made. Native American women made 59%, and Hispanic women made 54%. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/report/2015/04/14/110962/women-of-color-and-the-gender-wage-gap/
- According to economist Evelyn Murphy, head of The WAGE Project (Women Are Getting Even), over the course of 47 years of full-time work, the pay gap results amounts to a loss of $700,00 for a high school graduate, $1 million for a college graduate, and $2 million for a graduate-degree holder. http://www.pay-equity.org/info-time.html
- In 2014, 35% of African American women and 26% of Hispanic women occupied higher-paying management or professional positions, while 48% of Asian women and 43% of white women did. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/report/2015/04/14/110962/women-of-color-and-the-gender-wage-gap/
- In 2015, women made on average 64% of what men made for similar work, placing 74th out of 145 countries for wage equality. The year before, women on average made 66% of what men made for similar work. http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/18/news/gender-pay-gap/
- The Institute for Pay Women’s Policy Research estimates that women in the U.S. will not achieve pay parity with men until 2059. http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/pay-equity-and-discrimination
- Median pay for women in 2014 was $39,621, compared to $50,838 for men, a difference of $10,762. Percentage-wise, median pay for women was approximately 78.6% of median pay for men.
- http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/the-gender-wage-gap-2014 Experts attribute the disparity to a variety of factors, such as the effects of having children on women’s careers and simply paying women less for the same work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsB1e-1BB4Y
- As of 2014, African American women made roughly 64% of what white men made. Native American women made 59%, and Hispanic women made 54%. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/report/2015/04/14/110962/women-of-color-and-the-gender-wage-gap/
- According to economist Evelyn Murphy, head of The WAGE Project (Women Are Getting Even), over the course of 47 years of full-time work, the pay gap results amounts to a loss of $700,00 for a high school graduate, $1 million for a college graduate, and $2 million for a graduate-degree holder. http://www.pay-equity.org/info-time.html
- In 2014, 35% of African American women and 26% of Hispanic women occupied higher-paying management or professional positions, while 48% of Asian women and 43% of white women did. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/report/2015/04/14/110962/women-of-color-and-the-gender-wage-gap/
- In 2015, the U.S. fell eight spots to place 28th globally in terms of gender equality, primarily due to disparities in pay and lack of female representation in higher office. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/11/19/us-falls-28th-global-gender-equality-list/76018174/ Also http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GGGR2015/cover.pdf
- Almost two-thirds of minimum-wage workers are women, and most get no sick days. http://time.com/2026/11-surprising-facts-about-women-and-poverty-from-the-shriver-report/
- As of 2015, women made up 20% of the U.S. House and Senate. This puts the U.S. at 33rd out of 49 high-income nations regarding women in the national legislature, behind Rwanda, Cuba, Sweden, and South Africa, among others. As far as women in Cabinet-level or ministerial positions, the U.S. ranked 25 out of 141 countries and 12th out of high-income countries. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/01/26/despite-progress-u-s-still-lags-many-nations-in-women-leadership/
