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The history of gender pay gap topic
Historical trends of gender wage inequality within the workplace
History of gender pay gap essay
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Throughout history, women have always experienced sexism on different levels. For example, not being able to vote because of their gender. Most of these issues don't exist in the US or other countries anymore, except for the wage gap between men and women. Women get paid less than men do, especially if they both have the same job. Women should get equal pay because they can do the same jobs as men, they can get as good as an education as men, and it affects other people including a woman's family. Women are capable of doing the same jobs that men do. Many women do work in higher positioned jobs that are seen more as jobs for men, but just because they’re higher up doesn’t mean they get paid the same as the men doing their exact job. “High-achieving women are paid less than men even when they have similar levels of experience and are in the same fields,” (Bloomberg Businessweek). This means that women who have been doing the same job for the same amount of time as a man, earn less than him. Even a woman who was completely …show more content…
new a job with no work experience made less than a man with the same background. “A man entering a new industry straight out of an MBA program has the same amount of experience in that industry (none) and the same level of education as a woman in the same situation. Yet women who were switching into tech, finance, or consulting—the three industries that hire the most MBAs—made an average of $12,800 less than men who were also newbies,” This is another example of how the wage gap is unreasonable and unfair. Not only do women do the same jobs as men, they get the same education. Women also get paid less than men with the same degree as them. Many women go to college to earn the same degrees as male peers, going as high as a doctoral degree or maybe they just have a high school degree. Though they may get the same education, women still do not earn as much as men for having the same degree. “ At every level of academic achievement, women’s median earnings are less than men’s median earnings,” (American Association of University Women). This is an example of how the wage gap is purely based off of sexism, they earn significantly less than their male counterparts despite having the same level of education. No matter what degree a woman has, she will always make less than a male with the same degree. “At every level, a woman will make less than a man with the same degree. While women with associate degrees get closest to parity, earning 80 percent of what men with an associate degree make and experiencing a smaller gap that those with high school educations, it starts to widen even more once they go further,” (No, Women Getting College Degrees Won’t Close The Gender Wage Gap). This shows that a woman could have a doctorate degree, perhaps making more money than a woman with an associate's degree, will still make less than a male with doctorate degree because of her gender. Another reason unequal pay is unfair is because it affects families. Finally, unequal pay not only affects women but it can affect their families. Having lower income than men can affect a woman's family because things are more expensive and it becomes harder for a woman to provide for her family. “Women’s lower wages hurt women and families who rely on women’s earnings for all or part of their income,” (National Women's Law Center). This means that families that rely on a woman to help provide for them are going to struggle more than having a man to provide for them because women earn less. If a woman is a single mother, the wage gap makes it even harder to provide for a family. “Working single mothers with children struggled to make ends meet ... over a quarter, or more than 2.0 million, of all such families were poor,” (U.S. Census Bureau). This means that a woman working hard for her kids struggled to deliver enough money to survive, causing the family to be poor. These are all many reasons why women deserve to have equal pay. Many people argue that women don't deserve to be paid the same amount as men simply because they believe women are less educated and are always taking time off to have kids.
These are simply false and are only beliefs some men have. Women aren't less educated, many women end up going to college to earn bachelor degrees in a variety of subjects. “College enrollment of women has increased by more than 35% between 1976 and 1996, and now exceeds that of men,” (Why Women Don't Deserve Equal Pay!). This means that plenty of women are going to college, this in no one shows that women aren't as educated. Another excuse people have to why women don't deserve equal pay is because they think women always take time off just to have kids. This isn't accurate because most women are working hard to take care of their kids. “Women with children under the age of one, almost 60% of them work either full or part-time,” (Why Women Don't Deserve Equal
Pay!). In conclusion, the wage gap should not exist. It is purely based on gender bias, women can perform the same jobs, get the same education, and overall the gap affects families. People may argue that women don’t deserve to be paid the same because in their opinion, they think women aren’t as educated as men and take too much time off to have kids or take care of kids, which is very untrue. Women have experienced gender prejudice for too long, it’s time for a change.
In the workplace environment it is a known fact that women are passed over for higher positions that would allow them to earn higher wages. Author of “Workplace Gender Discrimination and the Implicit Association Test" Jo- Ann Kadola stated, “Women earn 18 % less per hour than men working the same job, with the same title, with the same credentials even when a woman has a higher education.” (Kadola23) This is known as the gender gap, it happens in all occupations whether in management, directors or any high level position. Overall men and women never earn the same pay for the same job. This is known to be a worldwide fact. On every job women are always asked to prove or provide credentials for a job that men are able to obtain without proof. Kadola also stated, “Women have to show skills more often, they are required to take or be more responsible than men.” (Kadola24) Men are generally respected more. Their opinions hold more value. Men tend to have more freedom in making decisions. When it comes to merit raises they will receive a higher percentage based on the fact that they are men. When women enter the workplace it is a perceived notion that she will get married and start a family. Therefore a working mother is looked down upon based on the fact she is no staying home caring
On the contrary, women still get paid less than men. According to CNN Money, “men still make more than women in most professions -- considerably more in some occupations than others, according to a new study by the job search site Glassdoor”. Although we like to comfort ourselves with the idea that we have gotten our rightfully earned rights, we had not been given bathroom breaks until 1998. Furthermore, employees are still afraid to have a voice in the workforce. Employers establish rules that let laborers know that they are inferior.
If you believe women suffer systemic wage discrimination, read the new American Association of University Women (AAUW) study Graduating to a Pay Gap. Bypass the verbal sleights of hand and take a hard look at the numbers. Women are close to achieving the goal of equal pay for equal work. They may be there already.
Exhilarated screams and contagious laughter pierce the air. The squeaking and screeching of the rusty old gate travel throughout the playground, as I tower towards it. Sprinting down the crumbly old path, leading to the sand court. There are crowds and clusters of children everywhere. The wind twisting and gusting throughout the awkward side bangs and awful bob haircuts. Recess was by far the most exciting and adventurous part of my second-grade life. Spotting my best friend, Lydia, out of the mass of children, I frantically run up to her and ask her to play Newcomb with me. Newcomb was the best recess game to me, simply because it always had the cutest boys. Lydia immediately replies with complete agreement.
Equal pay is a family issue. Women are a huge part of the United States labor force and they are working in positions in fields that are largely dominated by men. When a woman is not paid fairly they do not suffer alone their entire family suffers. To make sure there is a change people most start voting for more wage equality legislation and for the younger population that cannot vote yet they can help the change by speaking out against the wage gap since they are the generation of technology.
When women are actually given the same jobs as men, they may be paid the same but typically, they are not able to reach the higher positions in the company that men do. Even with their 77 cents to a man’s dollar, “women still tend to bear a larger responsibility for child care and other household matters within families” (Mazorelle). Women are not given the opportunity to earn as much as men, and they still have to take on a majority of the responsibilities of the household.... ... middle of paper ... ...
These issues are not blatantly propagated by people, but these are considered “nonconscious cognitive processes” (Weichsellbaumer 2005, 327) Normally the gender pay gap is decreased by allowing women into higher education and into more selective universities, (Bobbitt-Zeher 1-2) while also imposing laws that help to generate a societal change in the way that women are viewed. Sometimes that societal change happens because women are allowed to receive an education; and then they are able to implement the change needed. Education (Bobbitt-Zeher 2) seems to be one of the stepping-stones of equality because once women have that they are able to fight for equality by becoming part of the system and attempting to change it. Cuba is a good example of a country that has made an effort to close a gender gap in their society, and they really only succeeded in allowing women into higher education. (Gonzalez) They have implemented laws that prohibit blatant discrimination against women in higher education and in society at large, but these laws were not enacted or pushed by the Cuban women and have not succeeded in erasing the pay gap or changing antiquated views of women’s place in society (Hees 152). The attributed reason for these laws not erasing a gender pay gap is because women were not the ones fighting for it and the stereotypical female household roles are still
Since the nineteen twenties women of America have been considered equal citizens of our country, and had to work hard in order to obtain that equality in the workplace. One may reconsider the success rate of females in America, and if they really have made it as far as popular belief may have it. Of course, American women can vote, can hold office, and they can work, which is more than can be said for some countries. But do both sexes really hold equal in the workplace regarding manners of salary and respect? Does the corporate executive world really take women seriously? These are some of the arguments made by women today that do not feel that they are being treated equal in the workplace. On the other hand, those who believe women are treated equally usually reason that differences balance out in statistics, things such as majority of teachers are women, and women also have a hold on the entrepreneur side of businesses. The voices that are still screaming come from an audience who feel that women still have a long way to go before achieving a status of total equality.
The first thing that factors in is that women are more likely to work in lower paying jobs including: retail trade, leisure and hospitality. There are not very many women who work in the three jobs with the highest wages: information services, mining and logging, and utilities (“Gender Pay Gap: Recent Trends”). According to the Council of Economic Advisors, “women are also slightly less likely than men to have access to paid leave and, perhaps as a result, are slightly more likely to take leave without pay.” Discrimination is another factor. Women may be influenced which job to choose base on discrimination, and it can cause women to leave their position (“Gender Pay Gap: Recent Trends”). According to the Council of Economic Advisors, there are less women who are receiving science and math degrees even though, in 2013, women earned 57 percent of all bachelor’s degree, 35 percent of which were in science, technology, engineering, and math fields. The level of education does not help the wage gap either, no matter what level of education women have there is still a pay gap (Dishman). The Council of Economic Advisors also says that “in general, women, even highly-educated women, are less likely to negotiate their first job offer than men. But even when women do negotiate, if the norms of negotiation and salary expectations are not transparent, they are likely to receive less than men.” A survey from
Women are usually targeted because they are seen as the inferior gender in society. They are often displayed as sexual objects in the media, such as in porn and video games. Because of the way women are portrayed in society, they do not have the same opportunities as men. Many people may think that sexism is not an important issue anymore because women are making their way to the top. For instance, Mary Berara, the CEO of General Motors says “There are more women in more senior roles than in 1980 when I started. But from my career perspective, I don 't go into a room and take count. I want to be recognized for my contribution and for what I do” (nymag). Women are pushing themselves to work in higher positions, to prove that they have the same ability as men. Although women are becoming more and more powerful, sexism is still a huge issue today. Women may have higher positions, but they are paid less than men. According to a news article, “In 2012, the median earnings of American women working full time year-round were $37,791. American men earned a median income of $49,398. The gender wage gap has hovered at about 77 cents on the dollar since 2007” (huffington). This proves that sexism is present today since women working in the same jobs as men are paid a lower
Another large sexist factor in the workforce, is that women get paid less than men do for the same exact job. “Women get paid 77 cents on the dollar for every dollar a man makes, according to a recent study from the Institute for Women's Policy Research. That's a difference of more than $10,000 per year on average,”(Berman). Why is this? Some people believe that it is because women gravitate towards low...
In addition, women are paid less than men for the same type of work. According to Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg mentions that women were paid fifty-nine cents for every dollar men were paid in 1996, but women protested to raise the compensation to seventy-seven cents (6). This means that even though a woman and a man perform the same work such as an engineer does, both do the same assignments and have the same responsibilities in the technology place, men are paid twenty three cents more than women. Moreover, women suffer from “gender discount” which means women have to pay for being part of the workplace or society ...
In the workplace, women do not receive the same benefits that men do. Some women do the same job, for the same amount of hours, and still do not receive the same pay for their work. Is there a specific reason behind this? No, it is just one of the many inequalities that goes on on the job. As pointed out in the essay by Susan Faludi, Blame it on Feminism, women earn less. The average women’s paycheck is twenty percent less than their male counterparts. Men with only high school education’s make more than some women who have graduated college. Most women are still working the traditional “female” jobs: secretaries, teachers, and nurses for example. Construction work, engineering, and doctor’s, are considered “out of our reach” and men’s jobs. Women are very capable of doing these jobs, but most times when applying for a “man’s job” are not taken seriously. American women are more likely not to receive health insurance and twice as likely not to draw pension then American men. They face the biggest gender-biased pay gap in the world.
From the beginning of history and to this day women still get paid less than the average man, but why? Whoever said that women are incapable of good work performance? Whoever said that women do not have the same responsibilities to maintain? What really makes a women’s work inferior to men? The answer is nothing. Today, women are depended on just as much as men, and are capable of performing at their level. However, a full-time working woman earns only seventy-seven cents for every dollar a man makes. These days women make up half the workplace in our society; they work just as hard and for the same reasons. Women deserve to be paid at an equal rate as men because they are relied on to uphold the same responsibilities and are just as qualified to perform at a man’s level.
Women are less likely to experience promotions in a career compared to males, instead they are more likely to pass from one job to another. These jobs are seen as less skilled and the women do not usually benefit from sick leave, maternity pay and paid holidays.