Paging Don Draper – Your Time’s Up, Bub

There is a belief, which is just not true, that women are just in bad occupations and if we just put them in better occupations, we would solve the gender gap problem,” noted Dr. Claudio Goldin, a Harvard University labor economist, in an April 2014 New York Times piece on the “Pay Gap.” The idea being discussed was the notion – which a number of Republicans who voted down the equal pay bill in April of this year cited – that the lower average pay of women in today’s professional climate is not a byproduct of any rampant sexism in the workplace, but rather a result of females “choosing” lower-paying careers.

As the Republican National Committee put it, “There’s a disparity not because female engineers are making less than male engineers at the same company with comparable experience. The disparity exists because a female social worker makes less than a male engineer.”

It’s not my or MMR’s role to overtly align with any one political ideology, so, yeah, please feel free to talk that above assertion out amongst yourselves (Really! Any and all letters and emails are always welcome: [email protected]).

Lisa Maatz’ compelling and convincing editorial in an April Forbes article noted, “I know my calendar says 2014, but I’m having trouble believing it. The Mad Men era isn’t just on TV. It’s real life for women and their families who are struggling to make ends meet.”

Of course that so-called pay gap amongst the sexes – these days commonly reported/accepted to be 78 percent* (i.e., a woman with a similar skill-set and background to her male counterpart in a given field will make roughly 78 cents to the dollar earned by that man) – doesn’t tell the full story. Preconceived bias, sexual harassment, and historically established societal roles are just a few of the challenges facing women embarking on, or trying to successfully navigate through, professional careers in virtually every industry.

So how does the MI world stack up when it comes to gender equality and balanced, unprejudiced treatment of all professionals working within the field?

In Matt Parish’s in-depth article on the topic on page 26 of this issue, Cindy Cook of Santa Fe’s Candyman Strings and Things describes attending her first NAMM Show in 2010: “I didn’t get the impression that I had found myself in a gender-biased industry at all (no ‘good ole’ boys club anywhere) and as a newbie, I immediately felt included.”

Pretty good, then – right?

Before we collectively pat ourselves on the back, though, take a look at this quote from Guitar Center’s  vice president of operations, Laura Taylor: “Women go into a store and feel like they’re treated as if they know nothing about music. If they walk in with a guy, the guy gets all the questions.”

The good news – at least based on those who contributed to our cover story – is that, overall, our industry would seem to be more progressive than most, with women making great strides towards eradicating any leftover inequities of the past.

While I can get a nostalgic thrill out of a well-crafted AMC series as much as the next guy (or gal), in real-life, when it comes to fair treatment of co-workers and colleagues, it’s time for us all to step away from the retro
office bar-cart and fully engage in the present. Any disparity in pay, treatment, or professional consideration based upon gender, race, personal beliefs, or cultures in 2014 is reprehensible, archaic, and – worth noting – just blatantly stupid business practice.