A recent WalletHub survey notes that when it comes to gender discrimination, Arkansas ranks 43 out of 50, behind Mississippi (34) and Alabama (38).
Almost all of the low rankings are in Southern states, where women's rights have long languished.
Some of you don't believe women are discriminated against. Sure, women have equal rights, but that doesn't mean women get equal pay for doing the same jobs as men, and it certainly doesn't keep corporation boards and public commissions from being made up of all men.
Americans always like to think we're leading the world in just about everything. We're doing that in a lot of ways, and I couldn't be prouder of our country. But gender inequality is not something to brag about.
Just to give you an example of how far behind we are, let's consider the new cabinet members of Spain: 11 are women and six are men. It's almost impossible to imagine an American presidential cabinet having a majority of women. That's how far behind we are, and most of the entrenched men who make up the leadership of our corporations, state, and government entities--the ones who make the promotions and appointments--consider a token woman equal representation.
One study says if women worldwide were brought to equal status with men, productivity and the subsequent creation of goods would soar as much as $1 trillion a year. That translates into a giant increase in a worldwide standard of living.
Let's consider two all-male Arkansas boards, and for a moment forget about the hundreds more, plus several thousand with a token woman:
The Arkansas Highway Commission: If an equal number of women were on that board, I don't have a doubt that our highway rights-of-way would be more attractive, the 50 yards of bare ground on either side of our roads would be reduced, and we wouldn't have an interstate running through a historic neighborhood.
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission: Lakes and rivers that have Game and Fish facilities would be more attractive and have proper restrooms. Commission publications would be family-friendly and feature wildlife recipes.
Across this country there are thousands of all-male boards. Can anyone say the only qualified candidates for these positions are men? Of course not. So why do our male elected officials continue to appoint a much higher percentage of men to certain boards?
It's discrimination. There is no other word for it. It is discrimination as sure as the South's Jim Crow laws were, and don't give me that old whine, "It has always been a male board."
Here is a question for our gubernatorial candidates Asa Hutchinson, Jared Henderson, and Mark West: The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the state Highway Commission are all male appointees. Will you commit to appointing a woman to the board of each of the above commissions when the next vacancy occurs, and will you work to promote gender equality on all of the boards and commissions under your authority?
This is a yes or no question, and any other answer such as "the most qualified candidate" or "no answer" will be considered a "no."
For those trying to hide under the "best candidate" reply, it's a disgrace to infer that out of over a million Arkansas women there aren't two who are qualified for these commissions.
I'm sending the candidates this question by registered mail.
Trying to hide behind "It's always been a male-only board" or "men are more qualified because they hunt or fish or drive more trucks or are more business oriented" is just trying to come up with reason to discriminate against over half of the population in our fair state.
"Equal pay for equal work would be hardship on many employers" deserves a slap in the face. The facts are self-evident with the thousands upon thousands of women across our state who keep our economy humming while doing the work for so many male company heads.
On Jan. 1, Iceland became the first country in the world to make pay inequality illegal. Companies that cannot prove pay equality will be fined almost $500 a day if the gap continues to exist. Equal pay for equal work is a worldwide problem, and we need the Equal Rights Amendment to be ratified in order to move the process along.
Studies have shown that having an equal number of women on a board or commission greatly improves the work and mission of the commission. Even a token woman board member matters. Companies in every sector, not just tech, perform 5 percent better when they have just one woman on the board, according to Credit Suisse, which examined 3,000 companies.
There is a bill recently signed by the governor of California that mandates at least one woman on every company board headquartered in the state.
The two Arkansas commissions mentioned here are glaring examples of the inequality present in every community. If you don't think that's true, check with your city hall. You will be shocked.
I urge you to confront your local candidates for elective office to commit publicly to work for equal representation by women on all city boards.
Richard Mason is a registered professional geologist, downtown developer, former chairman of the Department of Environmental Quality Board of Commissioners, past president of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation, and syndicated columnist. Email richard@gibraltarenergy.com.
Editorial on 10/14/2018