A fair wage for a fair day

This week's Gallery is Inspirational People.

I first learnt about Mary Macarthur at the Black Country Working Museum.  Mary Macarthur was fighting for women's rights at the time of the suffragettes.  She led the 1910 chainmakers’ 10 week strike in Cradley Heath that won a battle to establish the right to a fair wage.

Mary Macarthur fought for our rights by founding, supporting and  spending her life in the cause of Trade Unions.  She was a tireless worker that fought hard against the system of the day and it is very much because of her that I can go to work today and have a right to stand side by side with the men.

But before we completely sit back on our laurels and thank our lucky stars that she fought so hard for us, here's a statistic for you:

Women work 2/3 of the world's working hours but earn only 10% of the world's income

(GuidingUK Winter 2010)

Just ponder it for a moment.  It's a statistic that needs a little thinking about for the reality of what it means to hit home.

And before you think "that's abroad", in the UK:

Women on average earned 16% less than men, widening to 27% for women aged 40.
(Economic and Labour Market Review )

Maybe it's because women work part time jobs, the lower end of the pay scale I hear you say? No, it's not and if you want to know a little more about it, have a look at one of my earlier posts.

So there is a way to go, but I would still love to meet Mary Macarthur and tell her I am proud of what she fought for and in awe of her great inner strength and tenacity.