Merikay Silver McLeod & Adventist Discrimination: The Price of Speaking Up

S1E1 In the 1970s, Merikay Silver did something almost no one in the Seventh-day Adventist Church had done before — she took her employer, Pacific Press Publishing Association, to court for paying women less than men for the same work. Pacific Press justified paying men more because they were classified as "head of household." That's a policy that harmed women and reduced men's family contribution to a financial function. In this conversation, Merikay reflects on what it cost, what it changed, and what it still hasn't changed for women in the Adventist Church more than fifty years later. Follow Her Seat at the Table:    / @herseatstories     / herseatstories   S1E1 Timestamps: 1:19 – Background & Context 4:00 – Discovering unequal pay and being denied the Head of Household allowance 8:04 – What Merikay asked for, and what happened in the General Manager’s office 13:20 – Realising that “Head of Household” effectively meant “man” 16:30 – A moment that revealed it didn’t feel safe (excerpt reading) 21:29 – Filing a sex discrimination lawsuit and class action 22:03 – Ongoing abuse and retaliation 28:13 – The impact on her marriage, work, and church relationships 30:52 – Attempts to fire Merikay and Lorna and have her disfellowshipped 34:13 – A visit from General Conference Vice President Neil Wilson 38:35 – Neil Wilson’s testimony at trial 40:13 – The appeal, dismissal, and what happened next #HerSeatAtTheTable #HerSeatStories #WomenInMinistry #WomensOrdination #FaithAndJustice #AdventistHistory #SeventhDayAdventist #CourageousConversations #ReligiousInstitutions #EqualPay #WomenOfFaith #StorytellingForChange #VoicesThatMatter