Laurie Prange-Martin thought fighting for wage equity was a battle of the past.

Then, in 2006, she made a one-off comment at work about how long it was taking to pay off her student loan and learned she was being paid two pay scales less than her colleagues for her work as an academic librarian at Yukon College.

"You listen to people from older generations and think, ‘Oh, that doesn't still happen.' But it does. It really does,” Prange-Martin told a group of about 20 people gathered at the Victoria Faulkner Women's Centre on Wednesday evening.

Prange-Martin realized that she was being paid for her work as an academic librarian according to a classification that was more than 20 years old.

Although the position, which she still holds, had evolved to include much more teaching and technology, neither the job description nor salary had been updated to reflect that.

Prange-Martin took her case to the college's administration, where she found support.

"The system does work,” she said of the complaints process, which eventually led to her gaining pay equity.

Though she found support from her employer, the process was not always an easy one.

Prange-Martin said she pursued the matter because she was insulted that she was being paid less – even though she required a masters degree for the position and was expected to produce the same quality of work as someone being paid much more.

But not everyone saw it that way. One of Prange-Martin's female colleagues tried unsuccessfully to have her fired for stirring up trouble, she told her audience.

During her struggle, Prange-Martin learned a lot including that "some people will call you a trouble-maker to your face.”

Since her struggle, Prange-Martin has researched academic librarians' collective agreements at other post-secondary institutions, looking at whether or not they have faculty status and what affect this has on things like job titles and pay. One thing she has learned is that she is not alone.

"My experience is not unique,” she said.

Prange-Martin said her struggle shows women still face challenges, particularly in the workplace.

"I believe wage equality is the most important right facing the women's movement today,” she said.

There are several obstacles facing pay equity, including the current federal government, Prange-Martin added.

It's not enough to have the job skills, she told the audience, saying you must have people skills and negotiating skills as well if you want equal pay.

Prange-Martin encourages those who are facing situations similar to hers to identify their union's shop steward and document their grievances.

When it comes to women's rights, Prange-Martin believes her generation doesn't realize there are still battles to be fought.

She believes that complacency has become a new glass ceiling and is concerned by the current attitudes toward women's rights.

"We need to re-unite to make sure others don't block the path we've been on for 100 years,” she said.

Women fighting for the right to vote wore green, white and violet broaches so they could identify one another.

The colours stood for "Give Women the Vote.” Prange-Martin believes the women's movement needs a new rallying cry to prevent it from regressing.

"It's time to reunite all over again,” she said.

"It's not about women; it's about humans.”

The group gathered at the women's centre had not only come together to hear Prange-Martin's story and advice. They were also there for the Yukon Status of Women Council's (YSWC's) annual general meeting.

YSWC is an advocacy and awareness group for women's equality issues, both locally and nationally.

Founded in 1973, the non-profit organization lobbies for feminist political change through activism, awareness and education.

Over the past year, YSWC has worked on several projects, including the landlord and tenant act action group, the Yukon policing review and working groups on women and housing, among others. The organization has also provided several educational programs, including a financial literacy training program.

For more information on the YSWC, visit yukonstatusofwomencouncil.blogspot.com.