Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site kontron.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!prls!amdimage!amdcad!amd!pesnta!pertec!kontron!cramer
From: cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Changing Roles
Message-ID: <397@kontron.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 23-Jul-85 12:35:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: kontron.397
Posted: Tue Jul 23 12:35:26 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 26-Jul-85 03:46:04 EDT
References: <993@ubc-vision.CDN> <202@ihlpl.UUCP> <282@timeinc.UUCP> <3006@hplabsb.UUCP>
Organization: Kontron Electronics, Irvine, CA
Lines: 43

> > 
> > Seriously, each of us has seen some women who was not as effective at her
> > job around the time of her period due to these PMS.  If you were in a
> > hiring position, would you want to hire someone who (for a few days each
> > month) *might* not be as effective as a man?
> > 
> 				> Ross M. Greenberg  @ Time Inc, New York 
> 
> Interesting leap here!  PMS can make you retain water, get teary-eyed, and be
> grumpy, but unless your job is to be a smiling, slender airhead, I don't
> think PMS would make you "ineffective."
> 
My wife experienced severe PMS after our daughter was born; for a week
and a half each month, she became depressed and difficult to live with.
The rest of the time she felt pretty good.  Fortunately, my wife's 
employer can't fire her (her boss hasn't quite learned to talk).  I'm sure
that if she worked outside the home, her attitude would have gotten her
fired.  (The same attitude would get a man fired.)

> Let's face it, everybody has bad days.  Women's may just be more cyclic...
> not necessarily more frequent.  And besides, there is that wonderfully "in
> tune" phase in some women's cycles that includes high energy, high focus, 
> and VERY positive vibes.  [ (- ; ]
> 
My wife's experience with PMS suggests differently.  Her bad days were
dramatically more frequent than before our daughter was born, and dramatically
more frequent than now.

> From an AA/EEO point of view, the main legal contention is that one cannot
> discriminate against an INDIVIDUAL based on stereotypes about a CLASS of
> people when that class sort is based on sex, age, ethnic background, religion,
> or race.
> 
> 					Patricia Collins
PMS doesn't justify discrimination against individuals; but if PMS affects
a sizeable percentage of women, and thereby impairs job performance, it
might explain some of the *average* discrepancy in wages between men and 
women in comparable jobs.

I realize a lot of people out there would rather believe that the discrepancy
is entirely the result of discrimination; the pursuit of truth can be most
unpleasant to those who are so damn certain they have it all wrapped up in
a neat little bundle.