The woman behind the Gender Pay Gap Bot

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Mar 11, 2022 View in browser   By Katelyn Fossett POLITICO illustration/David Badders/iStock Happy Friday, rulers! I had a great weekend off and got to be back in Politico's new hybrid workplace this week and last. I'm back in time to discuss International Women's Day, so let's get to it! Thank you to Maya Parthasarathy for helping to put this newsletter together. In recent years, feminists have expressed frustration over how brands and corporate Twitter accounts have coopted International Women's Day. In one characteristic example, on Monday, journalist Jill Filipovictweeted out her Apple Watch's prompt to exercise for a quick 20 minutes "to celebrate women around the world!" But I noticed something interesting this International Women's Day: The conversations it generated seemed to get a bit more real. I saw a number of women posting their personal stories of asking for raises and getting denied, with real dollar amounts attached. And I also saw a new Twitter account crowding out all of the other posts in my timeline to mark the holiday: TheGender Pay Gap Bot , which retweets feel-good International Women's Day messages from organizations — but not without sharing data about the companies' records on pay parity. The Twitter bot uses data on the pay gap that British companies are required to disclose by a regulation that went into effect in 2017. When the budget airline Ryanair sent out its International Women's Day tweet, an image in the style of a movie poster with photos of women employees under the words "THE FLIGHT SQUAD," the Pay Gap Bot shot out a typically straightforward, cutting quote-tweet: "In this organisation, women's median hourly pay is 68.6% lower than men's." I called Francesca Lawson, who runs the Twitter account along with her partner Ali Fensome, about what prompted her to start the account and whether she thinks the law that required companies to disclose pay-gap data has actually improved anything. Katelyn Fossett: How did the idea for the Pay Gap Bot come about? Francesca Lawson: I work in marketing, so I have been the person who has had a load of things read out to me by senior managers, like, "We need to talk about how we're doing really well on this equality measure" and "We need to talk about how we're actually promoting loads of women." And I've been in that position of knowing that it's not true, but sort of having my hands tied a bit. There's only so much that I can protest here because at the end of the day, they're going to pull rank and overrule me. So yeah, the Pay Gap App bot is inspired by the frustration of feeling like we can't challenge a lot of the nice words and see what substance there is behind them. And of course, in the UK, we actually have gender pay gap data for all companies with more than 250 employees [because of a regulation that went into effect in 2017]. So we thought, how can we get that data in front of people so that they can better understand what's going on behind the scenes? And so we decided we'd push out the data in response to the tweets that are coming through with messages of empowerment and celebration and inspiration on International Women's Day. And we'd be able to prove whether those words are actually the truth or whether they're just covering up the more systemic problems that aren't being acted on. Fossett: What do you make of the reaction to the Twitter account? Lawson: I'm absolutely blown away by how much the account has taken off and how many people have been interacting with it. I think maybe that speaks to the fact that for a long time, there's been this kind of Hallmarkification, if you will, of these social issue awareness events. It's the same with Pride as well. We shouldn't give up and just sort of accept companies can now sell our liberation back to us in the form of "Smash the Patriarchy" T-shirts and things like that. What we've done is enable people to refocus on the actual issues at stake and keep on pushing for better pay and better representation across all sorts of levels. In many of the companies with a gap, one of the things that stands out is that the upper tier and tends to be predominantly male, and that the lower tier is predominantly female. And that's what creates the gap. But I think that, yes, we need to make sure that women are represented at all levels of the organization. But then we also need to make sure that wages are fair across all levels of the organization and that there's not one CEO, regardless of gender, sort of raking in millions while there are others on minimum wage. Fossett: What has changed in the UK since the regulation went into effect that required companies to disclose the data you're using here? How has it actually affected life for workers in the UK? Lawson: If I'm going to be honest, I think that it's not been that effective so far because I think that awareness is still quite low. And I think that's partly because to find the studies, you've got to go and seek it out. There's no sort of requirement for, say, companies to declare that gender pay gap data in their recruitment ads or anything that that. There's also nothing in the legislation which requires companies to act on that data. Some companies have five years' worth of reports now, and you see very little change from one year to the next because they're not being forced to implement, say, blind recruitment, or diverse interview panels or improvements on parental leave to give both genders more paid time off for raising children. And those are the types of things that, in my opinion, would be quite effective at reducing the gap. There's definitely value in the reporting itself; it's enabled us to do what we've done. But that's just the first step.   Sponsored by Business Leader members of Women Rule: The Exchange: What will it take to build a new, more equitable workplace? POLITICO Focus connected with members of Women Rule: The Exchange to get their perspectives on some of the critical topics — diversity and inclusion, equal pay, mental health and family-friendly policies — that are driving this debate and will make or break the future of work for women. Read More    Illustration by Natalia Agatte FROM ACROSS THE NEWSROOM – My colleagues created something extremely cool, and I think you'll want to spend some time with it today and this weekend. POLITICO's The Recast has named the 40 power players of 2021. From strategists to politicians, activists to influencers, they undeniably impacted the intersection of race, politics and policy. Explore the full list here . Twitter Chatter Missouri State Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman recently introduced an amendment that would allow any private citizen to sue a person who helps a Missouri resident obtain an abortion outside the state. But experts on Twitter were skeptical. In response to a question about whether such a provision would be constitutional, Mary Ziegler, a legal historian, tweeted : "The short answer is that it's complicated." She linked to a paper by a trio of law professors on the legal and jurisdictional battles that could ensue if Roe v. Wade is overturned. David S. Cohen, law professor at Drexel Kline and one of the authors of the paper, tweeted: "Well, at least for the next four months, this is unconstitutional. That's pretty clear … But once Roe goes, it's super complicated with answers that will be influenced by judges' attitudes about abortion." POLITICO Special Report AP Photo/Ben McKeown "Kamala Harris finds herself center stage of the Ukraine crisis," by Eugene Daniels and Alexander Ward for POLITICO: "Vice President Kamala Harris' trip to Poland on Wednesday comes amid tense times in the region and difficult negotiations between Warsaw and Washington. "But administration officials say she's not there to make any deals, whether it be on humanitarian aid or the transfer of military equipment. Instead, her role is to serve as an emissary and an emblem of the administration's commitment to the country and the trans-Atlantic alliance more broadly. "The vice president has been trying to build her chops as a serious foreign policy player, an image that's eluded her throughout her career. But the backdrop for her trip has changed dramatically since it was first announced on March 4. Russia's invasion of Ukraine rages on Poland's doorstep, forcing more than 2 million people to flee their homes. And, in the last 24 hours, Warsaw and Washington openly sparred over a plan to send Polish MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, before the Biden administration put the deal on ice for fear of escalating tensions further with Moscow. … "Administration officials and allies say Harris' sojourn to Europe is an illustration of President Joe Biden's trust in her in these moments, even in fields like national security, where she has not been given much of a portfolio during her vice presidency. They note the good reviews she received just a few weeks ago for her appearance at the Munich Security Conference as evidence that she's more deft in international diplomacy than her critics concede." " White House set to stay in Supreme Court suspense until after KBJ's hearings," by Marianne LeVine for POLITICO: "Sen. Susan Collins had a favorable review of Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson after meeting with her for 90 minutes Tuesday, but she's staying mum on her support until the confirmation hearings are over. "Following their one-on-one meeting, the Maine Republican — who represents Democrats' best chance for a GOP vote to confirm Jackson — called Jackson 'impressive' and described their conversation as 'lengthy and very productive.' "'Obviously, I don't agree with her on every decision that she has rendered,' Collins said. 'But I felt that what I did get from her is that she takes a very thorough, careful approach in applying the law to the facts of the case, and that is what I want to see in a judge.' "Those types of statements far from guarantee her support, though the White House is sitting at rapt attention. There's a significant push to get Collins on board; Biden has called her three times to discuss the Supreme Court vacancy, including the day Jackson was nominated."   Sponsored by Business Leader members of Women Rule: The Exchange: The pandemic brought corporate America to a tipping point. Business leaders weigh in on the issues that will make or break the future of work for women.   Number of the Week Read more here. MUST READS AP Photo/Mark Thiessen "2022 elections are important, women say — but a poll suggests they may be too overwhelmed to prioritize politics," by Barbara Rodriguez for The 19th: "More women are increasingly disengaging with politics even as they see the stakes rising, according to a new poll from the Women & Politics Institute at American University and the Barbara Lee Family Foundation. "Forty-one percent of women say they're more tuned out from politics — a 12-point increase compared to polling conducted last year. The figure was higher for women of color (49 percent) and women under 40 (55 percent). That's despite 3 in 5 women saying the upcoming midterm elections in November will be more important than most. "'Women have a bandwidth issue. And they may be deeply concerned about the election, but they're also just trying to stay on track at their jobs and make sure that their kids do their homework and all of those other responsibilities that even in the most progressive families, it usually turns out to be the woman that worries about those details,' said Amanda Hunter, executive director of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation. 'And that was all amplified during COVID.' "The survey shows more women are worried about their finances and the economy as a whole. And nearly half of women feel more burned out and lonely since the pandemic began." "Scotland Apologizes for History of Witchcraft Persecution," by Maria Cramer in the New York Times: "The persecution began in the 1500s and lasted almost two centuries. Nearly 4,000 people were accused of witchcraft, a vast majority of them women. They were arrested, brutally tortured and coerced into false confessions. Two-thirds of those accused were executed, according to historians."Unlike the United States, whose own shameful history of witch trials in Salem, Mass., led to official exonerations and victim memorials , the Scottish government had never apologized for the atrocities committed against its citizens, according to activists who have campaigned for a formal apology. "That changed on Tuesday, when Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, addressed Parliament and apologized for the persecution. "'It was injustice on a colossal scale,' said Ms. Sturgeon, who made the statement on International Women's Day as part of a speech that also called on Scottish leaders and the public to combat modern-day misogyny." Quote of the Week Reports surfaced on Wednesday that Russia bombed a maternity and children's hospital, injuring 17. Read more here.   Sponsored by Business Leader members of Women Rule: The Exchange: COVID-19 has upended the American workplace — and it continues to shine a light on what isn't working — particularly for women. But within every crisis, there is opportunity. Women Rule: The Exchange brings together leading women in business each quarter to confront these challenges and help find solutions to today's most pressing issues at the intersection of gender, industry and policy. Most recently, this included an examination of the future of America's working women. In this inaugural edition of 'view from The Exchange,' we sat down with a few of these leaders to continue the conversation and get their perspectives on some of the critical topics — diversity and inclusion, equal pay, mental health and family-friendly policies — that are driving this debate and will make or break the future of work for women.   Transitions Sahar Robertson is now managing director at Ridgely Walsh. She previously was chief comms officer for MoveOn. … Bloomberg's Kate Hunter is returning to D.C. to become deputy White House editor. … Zoë Richards will cover breaking political news at NBC News Digital. She previously was a breaking news reporter at The Daily Beast. (h/t Playbook) …  Sarah Al-Husseini is now Google's head of government affairs and public policy for Saudi Arabia. She previously served in Saudi Arabia's United Nations mission and in the country's Ministry of Tourism. … Dina Powell McCormick has been named by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to the Middle East Partnership for Peace Advisory Board. (h/t Nat Sec Daily). … Former NYC mayoral candidate Maya Wiley has been named president and chief executive of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. … AECOM is adding Casey Street and Harrison Wadsworth IV as VPs on its government relations team. Street previously was director of federal government relations at Jacobs. Wadsworth previously was senior director of government affairs at Siemens, leading digital and transportation policy. … Rina Pal-Goetzen is joining the Semiconductor Industry Association as director of global policy. She most recently was general counsel of 3D printed microTEC. (h/t Playbook)   Follow us on Twitter Katelyn Fossett @KatelynFossett   Follow us

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