Iowa's Women Coaches Are the Best in the Country. They Deserve Equal Pay for Equal Work

The Iowa Women’s basketball team has the entire country captivated with their talent, grit and skillful play. What could possibly be disappointing about this season? Only one thing. The coaching staff—the masterminds behind it all—are grossly underpaid compared to the coaching staff for the men’s basketball team.

Lisa Bluder’s contract provides for a guaranteed $1.4 million annually, while Fran McCaffrey, the men’s coach, is guaranteed $3.3 million a year. Jan Jensen, the associate head women’s coach who, by all accounts, is one of the best assistant coaches in the country, earns $255,000 annually and assistant coach Raina Harmon earns $165,000. Meanwhile, men’s assistant coach Sherman Dillard earns $298,619 annually, Matt Gatens earns $277,500 and Courtney Eldridge earns $267,200. U of I salaries.

Lisa Bluder has been at the University of Iowa for 24 years and has gotten her team into the NCAA tournament an astonishing 17 times! She is a three-time Big Ten coach of the year, a Naismith Award winner and has coached the Hawkeyes to back-to-back Final Fours.

The gender pay gap is widespread across the entire workforce, but it is highlighted in the continuing disparities between male and female coaches. This pay discrimination has been challenged in court on multiple occasions. In 1994, Marianne Stanley, the women’s basketball coach at USC, sued the college under the Equal Pay Act because she was paid substantially less than the coach of the men’s team despite the success of her program. At the time, the court concluded she did not perform equal work to the men’s coach, because men’s basketball was simply more popular and, therefore, the men’s coach had more responsibilities. Ignoring the fact that I completely disagree with the court’s reasoning, that certainly can’t justify the pay difference for the coaching staff at Iowa now. The Iowa women sold far more tickets this year than the men’s team and for a higher average price. Women’s basketball on Fox is averaging more viewers than men’s basketball, and it’s reasonable to assume that holds true for other networks.

But times are changing. Even if it is at a glacial pace. In 2017, Jane Meyer, a senior associate athletic director sued the University of Iowa alleging gender discrimination within the athletics department, including that she was paid less than a male athletic director with the same job. A jury agreed with Meyer and awarded her $1.43 million in damages.

Women in the US still earn about 83 cents for every dollar earned by men for performing EQUAL WORK. The pay gap for black women is even worse at 70 cents on the dollar. This is 61 years after the enactment of the Equal Pay Act. Equal pay is important for all women, not just coaches. The gender pay gap persists among women of all educational and achievement levels.

The University of Iowa, with the national audience they now enjoy because of women’s basketball, should be a leader in closing the gender pay gap. Other universities have done just that. Kim Mulkey at LSU earns $3.26 million per year compared to the men’s basketball coach who earns $2.7 million. South Carolina Coach Dawn Mulkey earns $3.1 million annually, which is much closer to the $3.7 million paid annually to the men’s coach.

It is well past time for men’s and women’s basketball coaches to be paid equally. Not just the head coaches, but the assistants too. They are doing Equal Work. They deserve Equal Pay.

When will there be nine? Thank you RBG for getting us here...but we still have a ways to go.

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I had just gotten home from work and my husband sent me a text that Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died. I cried as though I had lost a friend, a mentor, a family member, but I had never even met RBG. I was scheduled to meet her this last summer at the 8th Circuit’s women lawyer’s conference . . . but being that it is 2020—the year where everything goes wrong—the conference was cancelled due to COVID.

A lot of women (and men) felt a very personal loss at the death of RBG. I think it’s because she did so much for us and now, we will never be able to thank her. She dedicated her life to a fight for all women and thinking about that, quite frankly, makes me feel small. Ruth brought us this far, but there is still a long way to go.

When Ruth started law school, she was 1 of 4 women in her class and each were required to explain why they were deserving of their spot over a man. My law school class was 50% female—that is progress. Female law students in my class were told by the career services department that they should wear skirts to all of their interviews to increase their chance of being hired and to never ask about a firm’s gender equity practice or maternity leave. There is still a long way to go.

Even though Ruth graduated at the top of her class, no law firm would hire her. I had no problem getting a job after law school—that is progress. During my first big case as a lawyer, out-of-state co-counsel refused to learn my name and repeatedly called me “Sweetheart.” I was often asked to get coffee or take notes during meetings. There is still a long way to go.

A recent study by the American Bar Association showed that women lawyers are much more likely to be interrupted than male lawyers. And one would think that by the time you made it to the Supreme Court, female justices would no longer have to endure this slight . . . but sadly, a review of Supreme Court arguments shows that the three female justices were interrupted much more frequently than the male justices.

Ruth became a lawyer four years before the Equal Pay Act was passed making it illegal to pay women less than men for performing equal work. Women were earning 59 cents for every dollar earned by men. Today woman earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men performing the same work. In 57 years, we have gained 18 cents. We haven’t even managed to cut the deficit by half. If you think women lawyers are spared this inequity, think again! Women law partners earn 56 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. There is still a long way to go.

RBG called out discrimination against women in all of the corners where it was hiding. We take for granted that women are equal to men under the law, but that wasn’t the law before Ruth. How can we show our gratitude for an icon who gave so much to all of us? There is only one way. We must pick up the fight where she was forced to lay it down. It is a sad reality that I will not see gender equity in my time, but that can’t dissuade me from moving forward. One day my daughters will have to pick up the fight.

WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD UNTIL THERE ARE NINE.

Why is the Time’s Up Movement Relevant to Iowans?

TIME’S UP! We’re not talking about the microwave beeping that your burrito is ready or the proctor’s script for the ACT. We’re talking about a movement against sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. While this movement was originally started by women in the entertainment industry, their advocacy has expanded to include women in all careers across the country… including here in Iowa. 

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Iowa's Gender Pay Gap: Why And What To Do About It

Workplace Discrimination Lawyers

Iowa’s gender pay gap is one of the widest in the nation. According to the AAUW, on average, women in Iowa make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. That number is well below the national average and places Iowa at number 41 in a ranking of the 50 states and Washington D.C.

Factors At Work

Employers give a lot of reasons for the gender pay gap, but really the gender pay gap is a result of gender discrimination – pure and simple – both historical and current discrimination. Because women have historically been paid less than men they are often willing to accept lower pay than a man would, however courts have made it clear that woman’s willingness to accept a lower pay rate does not make it legal to pay her less for the same work.

This factor is compounded by the fact that many women don’t know they are being paid less than the men they work with. Many employers prohibit employees from sharing their salaries allowing them to keep unequal pay a secret. Although Iowa passed its Equal Pay Act in 2009, and it is one of the strongest Equal Pay Acts in the nation, it requires that employees file a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission or file a lawsuit in order to remedy unfair pay. As it stands today, there are no specific laws in Iowa that prevent an employer from requiring his employees to keep their wages a secret from their fellow employees. Workplace discrimination lawyers see firsthand that this lack of transparency may cause female employees to be unaware of discriminatory pay practices happening in their workplace.

What You Can Do

Whether you are a woman in Iowa feeling that pay gap, or anyone anywhere who feels the weight of this discrimination, there are steps you can take to make change.

1)    Advocate for Yourself

Speak with your employer or your fellow employees to find out if your salary or wages is commensurate with your male colleagues. Negotiate your salary, raises, and bonuses with confidence, knowing that the U.S. Equal Pay Act, Title VIII and Iowa’s Equal Pay Act protect women from being paid unfairly. Iowa and federal law also protect you from retaliation from your employer for bringing this up. If you suspect unfair pay practices, here are a few things you should know. 

2)    Advocate for All

Starting with your own negotiations, continue having this conversation. Speak with other women in your industry or community and encourage them to speak up for themselves. Unequal pay practices occur in every field and women in leadership positions may be at a higher risk of being paid unfairly. If you are in a position to set salaries in your organization, review women’s pay and advocate for equal pay among men and women.

3)    Legislative Change

Educate yourself about local or state laws on the ballot that further protect employees from wage discrimination. Speak with your legislators, state and federal, about laws that encourage transparency and honesty in wage practices. At the federal level, every year, a bill is introduced that would require employer transparency so that people know when they are being paid unfairly, but every year corporate employers oppose the bill and it has never passed.  Contact your representatives and encourage them to support this bill. Iowa could enact a similar law and so you should also contact your state representatives and encourage them to put forth this type of legislation.

4)    Seek Legal Assistance

If you discover that you have been paid less than your male colleagues, we can help. We have experience as workplace discrimination lawyers and have successfully represented women in court who were being paid unfairly.

If you need a lawyer to represent you, please call us for a free consultation at (319) 826-2250 or fill out our contact form.

How Do I Know If My Employer Is Treating Me Fairly?

Workplace Discrimination Lawyers

Workplace discrimination lawyers represent employees who have been mistreated, paid unequally or discriminated against because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, age or religion. Fair treatment in the workplace is not a perk or benefit. In a lot of cases, it’s the law. There are legal ramifications to an employer treating his or her employees unfairly because they have differences. If you are feeling mistreated or wondering if your employer is legally acting fairly, here are a few areas you should consider.

Fair Payment For Work

A lot of workplace issues involve employee wages and benefits. Laws regarding minimum wage, equal pay, overtime payment and more regulate how an employer can pay their employees. Employers who do not comply with these laws may be held liable for wage theft. The Department of Labor outlines many of the federal laws governing fair pay concerns. Iowa also has a specific law addressing wages known as the Iowa Wage Payment Collection Act.

Gender Gap

While being treated equally does not always mean being treated the same, it does mean being given the same opportunities with the same intentions. This may look different in specific situations or for specific individuals. However, the general law remains the same: equal pay for equal work. Time and again we see women, doing the same job with the same responsibilities and qualifications as their male counterparts but being paid less. This is illegal and, as workplace discrimination lawyers, we have brought these cases to court and won.

Policies and Outcomes

From hiring to departure, and all the days in between, employers cannot have different rules for different employees based on race, gender, sexual orientation, age or religion. Employers do not have to treat every employee the same and always act fairly towards every employee, but an employer cannot treat an employee different because they are in a “protected class” meaning because of their race, their gender, their age, the sexual orientation or their religion.

Channels to Be Heard

Part of being treated fairly is the opportunity and freedom to speak up when an employee feels uncomfortable, harassed or treated unfairly. Laws that prohibit discrimination also prohibit an employer from retaliating against an employee because they make a complaint about discrimination. This includes making a complaint to the employer, making a complaint to the EEOC or the Iowa Civil Rights Commission or filing a lawsuit.

Harassment

The stories of sexual harassment in the news are shocking for some but for many women across many industries these stories are not news. They are all too aware of the pervasiveness of sexual harassment in the workplace. While sexual harassment is far too common, it is ILLEGAL.

Every employee deserves to be treated fairly by his or her employer. A workplace should be a place of growth and equality. If you have questions or feel that you are being treated unfairly in your workplace, contact a workplace discrimination lawyer today.  You can call us at (319) 826-2250 or fill out our contact form.

Girls Who Read Become Women Who Lead

We are pretty excited here at Ann Brown Legal to be launching our annual charitable initiative we have decided to call Girls Who Read Become Women Lead. Every year we will donate a book that we believe has an empowering message for young girls to each of the elementary schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District to use in their library. This initiative is near and dear to the hearts of all of us at the firm because we are all avid readers. We are also committed to seeing the girls in our community reach their full potential and believe that providing access to books featuring strong female characters or strong messages for young girls is a step in the right direction.

A recent study conducted at Dartmouth College found that 57% of children's books published in the United States featured male lead characters and only 36.5% featured female lead characters. The researchers found that these disparities "contribute to a sense of unimportance among girls." But many authors and publishers are committed to changing this and Girls Who Read Become Women Who Lead is about making sure that girls in Cedar Rapids have access to these books.

Unfortunately, Cedar Rapids Public Schools are grossly underfunded, which results in limited resources available for expanding, or even maintaining, school libraries. We hope to help in some small way and potentially inspire others to do the same by donating books to school libraries in need.

This year the book we have chosen is Strong is the New Pretty: A Celebration of Girls Being Themselves, by  Kate T. Parker. The book features amazing photographs of girls playing, fighting, living and loving along with powerful messages from each girl. One message from 12-year-old Kylie is: "Some girls never lose. They only learn and come back stronger." We were inspired by the book and reminded just to be ourselves, and we hope that the girls who get to read the book feel the same. 

 

Happy reading to our future leaders!