Title: "Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Addressing Systemic Injustice in the Gender Wage Gap" Introduction: The current assessment of the gender wage gap reveals systemic injustices in the workforce. Women earn roughly 83% of men's average pay, exacerbating disparities and hindering career advancement, especially for marginalized groups like LGBTQ+ and transgender individuals. Discriminatory hiring practices and limited resources worsen these inequalities, particularly affecting women of colour who face persistent discrimination in organizational hierarchies, perpetuating exclusion and marginalization. Through the lens of intersectional feminist theory, informed by critical insights from human capital theory and discrimination theories, this essay …show more content…
According to this theory, individuals with higher levels of education, enhanced skills, and extensive expertise are poised to command higher salaries owing to their heightened productivity and amplified contributions to the workforce. Therefore, investing in the development of marginalized groups is pivotal for ameliorating wage disparities and fostering economic mobility and equitable opportunities for all. Empirical research consistently corroborates the fundamental tenets of human capital theory, demonstrating that individuals who have undergone advanced education and training generally tend to secure higher wages. However, it is imperative to acknowledge that other factors, including discrimination and entrenched structural barriers, can significantly influence labour market outcomes, particularly for marginalized populations. Theories of discrimination shed light on the pervasive role of implicit biases, deeply ingrained stereotypes, and institutional discrimination in perpetuating and exacerbating wage gaps across diverse demographic groups. Despite substantial strides in enacting anti-discrimination legislation, empirical studies consistently underscore the persistence of discriminatory practices in hiring, promotion, and compensation …show more content…
Women, particularly women of colour, face compounded challenges, including discriminatory hiring practices and limited access to resources, which perpetuate wage gaps and hinder career advancement. Activists and scholars, guided by intersectional feminist theory, advocate for comprehensive strategies such as equal pay legislation and transparent salary negotiation practices to foster a more equitable labour market. However, the experiences of women of colour within organizational hierarchies persistently reflect patterns of inequality, perpetuating a cycle of exclusion and marginalization. We must acknowledge and confront intersecting forms of discrimination and inequality to realize gender equity and economic justice on a broader societal scale. Only through concerted efforts and unwavering commitment can we dismantle systemic barriers and pave the way for a more just and equitable future for
Despite the manifestation of Rosie the Riveter propaganda and the continuous push to recruit women, they still were not granted equal pay for their services. This was true in the 1940’s and it’s still a relevant issue today. Then, it was rare for women to earn even slightly more than fifty cents to every man’s dollar. Now, the average woman earns anywhere from sixty to eighty percent of a man’s salary for the exact same job. Ranges vary depending on the specific career field. However, women of minorities remain stuck in injustice systematic trends. The pay rate for a female minority is still approximately fifty percent.
Does Father really know best? In Corporate America, men seem to want full control. Our organizations have been created by men for men and they have great opposition to women infiltrating their management positions. Men have created glass ceilings for women in the workplace. A glass ceiling is an artificial barrier that allows women to see the top of the corporate ladder but at the same time denies them access to the higher rungs of that ladder. Women keep hitting their heads on the glass ceiling until they develop so many knots on their heads that eventually they give up on their goals and ambitions.
Throughout the world, discrimination in all forms has continued to be a constant struggle; whether it’s racial, gender based, religion, beliefs, appearance or anything that makes one person different from another, it’s an everyday occurrence. A major place that discrimination is occurring at is in the workplace. One of the largest problems discrimination issues is believed to be gender. Women, who have the same amount of experience as men are not getting paid at the same rate as men, these women also are equally trained and educated. According to the article Gender Pay, it was discovered in 2007 that a woman makes 81 cents for every dollar a man earns.(“Gender Pay”) . This shouldn’t be happening in today’s society for the fact the society lived in today is suppose to be more accepting. Men are viewed as being more popular, valuable and having higher powers than women. The Reason Discrimination is involved in the equal pay equal work is because of the significance it has to how some businesses pay their employees.
The reality of wage differences between men and women is that above all changes women continue to earn less than men. Countless arguments have promoted that wage inequality has changed and that everyone finally receives an equal amount of pay. “For women of color, the gap is largest of all: In 2006, black and Hispanic women earned 86 and 87 cents on the white man’s dollar, respectively,” (Mcswane 2). If a woman is lucky enough she will get an equal pay compared to a man doing the same job. But it is challenging for a woman of a minority background to achieve this. Not only are women paid less because of their sex, but also because of their race. There seems to be a mentality that because someone is a woman and a minority that they cannot do the same job as men or that women do not have the same education as the men, so employers do not have to pay them the same. “When the numbers are broken down by district, they 're pretty hard to ignore. Women in Texas are being utterly screwed financially, according to the data compiled by AAWU, with women earning anywhere from 66 percent of what men do in some districts, to the top end of things, which is about 89 percent,” (Leicht 4). The proof cannot be ignored. It i...
While the median weekly pay for women rose in the past decades, it is still largely inferior to the median weekly pay of men employed in the same jobs. This difference of pay also puts an additional burden on women who are expected to stay home when emergencies arise. They cannot in some cases pay for daycare or rely on their companies’ understanding that someone has to take care of the family obligations. In result, they are penalized when comes the time to find candidates for promotion and are seen as not as dependable as their male counterparts. Finally, women face a social bias against them that encompass gender, appearance and race. It effectively punishes them for reasons that are out of their own control and not related to their job performance and skills. Laws against gender-based discrimination, more flexible workplace arrangements and a change in our culture regarding women may help fight discrimination and help women reach their full potential in the workforce. By starting to allow for more flexibility, paying women on a comparable scale than the one used for men, and support women in their desire to take care of their families, corporations could set the tone for a fairer treatment of women in the
Satya Nadella once said, “We must ensure not only that everyone receives equal pay for equal work, but that they have the opportunity to do equal work.” It was found that women only earn seventy-nine percent of what men make in similar jobs. The gender pay gap has been in account for over fifty years, and yet it is still an issue today. Although businesses are required to practice fairness in compensation amongst all employees regardless of gender, age, or race this is not always the case. Businesses need to instill stricter policies against unequal pay to eliminate racial discrimination, reward and recognize performance and experience, and do away with the gender gap.
Despite the great lengths society has overcome in regards to gender inequality, social issues regarding the difference between men and women still exist. Women in today’s society still continually earn less than men in almost every single occupation. Women were given the right to vote in 1919, yet in 2016 they still have not achieved full equality in comparison to their male counterparts. Gender equality related to equal pay is concerning not only in my own community, but the entire nation.
Throughout the history of the world, discrimination in all forms has been a constant struggle, whether it is race, gender, religion, appearance or anything else that makes one person different from another, it is happening every day. One significant discrimination problem that is affecting many women takes place in the work place. As of recently the gender wage gap has become a major topic for discussion. The gender wage gap is the average difference between men and women aggregated hourly earnings. Women who are equally trained and educated, and with the same experience are getting paid way less than men. In 2015, female full time workers earned eighty cents for every dollar earned by men.
The institutionalized discrimination of women in the work place is nothing new or unheard of. The brunt of it has happened fairly recently as women began to enter the labor market in force less than a century ago. The affect of this discrimination has had long lasting, generation spanning affects, but as time has passed and feminism spread, the gender-gap has slowly begun to shrink.
The issue of equal pay between genders is still a problem in today’s society. Not to mention the argument of equal pay between genders of different ethnicities and minorities. A white man no matter his age, is unfairly paid more than a black or Mexican man. As well as a white woman can be paid more than both a black or Mexican man, and her ethnic female colleagues. Women of color are paid less than their male counterpart, not to mention the gaping wide wage gap between women of color and a white man. The many factors leading into why the wage gap exists or still exists is that men are stronger, and deserve bigger salaries. This is the main idea of sexism, and that women should earn less than men. When in some
The fight between men and women and equal rights and pay has been going on for many years. The wage gap is contributed by many factors like sex, race discrimination, education, but manly overall how men and women have been viewed as. Men are paid more because they work “harder and are stronger” where’s woman’s jobs are “less work and not as strong” therefore, that’s why the pay and the job occupations is different. Over the past century, American women have made tremendous strides in increasing their labor market experience and their skills (The Gender Wage Gap: Extent, Trends, and Explanations). The pay gap goes beyond wages and is even greater when we look at workers’ full compensation packages. Compensation includes not just wages, but also
Lilly Ledbetter once said, “We sought justice because equal pay for equal work is an American value. That fight took me ten years. it took me all the way to the Supreme Court. And, in a 5-4 decision, they stood on the side of those who shortchanged my pay, my overtime, and my retirement just because I am a woman.” The gender pay gap is a problem that many women, like Lilly Ledbetter, face everyday because it has many different causes, and it has a large impact on the economy in the United States.
Another target populations, has been the “glass ceiling,” or invisible barrier, that keeps women and minorities from attaining top jobs. While the ideal of equal opportunity is espoused, it is far from a reality. Women and minorities continue to “peak out” at a low level of management. Kelborn (1995) (pg.
Discrimination at work is a touchy issue. Most people, if not all, have experienced some sort or form of it and they ignored it, quit, or got fired from their job. Women tend to be more emotional than men and when women are judged and discriminated they are offended by it immediately. Also, the fact of women getting a lower income than men for the same job is almost unbelievable. It is very important to be concerned on the issue because it is constantly increasing throughout the United States. It upsets me that women are paid less than men because women have the same ability and work ethic as men do, but they are looked at differently. According to AAUW, women are making 77 percent of what men make. This rate hasn’t changed since 2002 (Hill, 2013). Statistics show that women will never make as much as men due to the thought of never being comparable to men (Williams, 2013).
For many decades, women have faced inequalities in the workforce. At one point, they were not allowed to work at all. Although women's rights have improved and are now able to work alongside men, they are still treated unfairly. According to the 2012 U.S. Census, women’s earnings were “76.5 percent of men’s” (1). In 2012, men, on average, earned $47,398 and women earned only $35,791. This is when comparing employees where both gender spend the same amount of time working. Not only do women encounter unfairness in work pay, they also face a “glass ceiling” on a promotional basis. This glass ceiling is a “promotion barrier that prevents woman’s upward ability” (2). For example, if a woman is able to enter a job traditionally for men, she will still not receive the same pay or experience the same increase in occupational ability. Gender typing plays a huge role in the workplace. It is the idea that women tend to hold jobs that are low paid with low status. Women are not highly considered in leadership positions because of social construction of gender. Society has given women the role of “caretakers” and sensitive individuals. Therefore, women are not depicted as authoritative figures, which is apparent with the absence of women in leadership roles in companies. Furthermore, sex segregation leads to occupations with either the emphasis of women in a certain job or men in a certain job. In 2009, occupations with the highest proportion of women included “secretary, child care worker, hair dresser, cashier, bookkeeper, etc.” (3). Male workers typically held job positions as construction workers, truck drivers, taxi drivers, etc. (3). Sex segregation represents inequality because the gender composition for these jobs depends on what ...