Unequal Pay Essay

Unequal pay for women has been a big issue as long as the concept of labor rights, that individuals should receive the same amount of pay for the equal amount of work put in. This is also known as gender discrimination which the definition according to dictionary.com, “a situation in which someone is treated less well because of their sex, usually when a woman is treated less well than a man.” This is the concept that is and has been used against women in the workplace and other businesses for years and causes them to get payed less than men. According to the Shriver Report released in 2014, women’s average annual paychecks reflected only seventy seven cents for every dollar earned by men. This also relates closely to women of color, and is even a bigger wage gap compared to white

The resolution passed in 1870 by almost 100 votes, but was ultimately altered by the senate to only apply to new employees. Then in 1883, workers at Western Union Telegraph Company were fed up and wanted to put a stop to the inequality, so they went on strike. They wanted to ensure, “equal pay for equal work” (Alter). In result the strike wasn't successful, but was an early public attempt for fair pay for women. By 1911, some progress has been made. It was a long fight against the Board of Education, but female teachers in New York were finally granted the same amount of pay as the male teachers.

Another great benefit for women would have to be in 1918, at the start of World War One. The United States Employment Service produced a list of jobs that would be more befitting of women than men. They hoped that in doing this it would cause the men in those jobs to switch to a different job towards the war effort. Such as workers that helped produce materials that were in demand during the war. Some of these things were rubber, aluminum and steel.