Lya Sorano once said, “When we talk about equal pay for equal work, women in the workplace are beginning to catch up. If we keep going at this current rate, we will achieve full equality in about 475 years. I don't know about you, but I can't wait that long.” Countless laws have been passed in an attempt to create equal wages in the workplace between men and women. The Equal Pay Act signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the Civil Rights Act signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act signed by President Barack Obama were all laws put in place to limit discrimination and equal the playing field between gender wages in the workplace ("Women's Pay Equity"). So how is it possible with all these laws passed, that …show more content…
women still make 77 cents to every man’s dollar? The Paycheck Fairness Act is a law being debated to try to cut down on that 23 cent pay gap. It is a piece of legislation to ensure that there are procedures and appropriate actions to be taken to ensure that the Equal Pay Act has value, and it is a way to give women options when dealing with discrimination in the workplace and unequal wages ("Should Congress Pass”). There is no reason why the Paycheck Fairness Act should not be passed, and there are an abundance of reasons why women deserve equal pay for equal work. As of right now, women make up almost half of the workforce and yet they earn 77 percent of what men do.
African American women earn 62 percent, and Latino women 54 percent ("Should Congress Pass”). The only reason this seems to be the case is based solely off of gender and the opinion that occupations and job positions held by women are considered insignificant when compared to a man. Many jobs that are considered female-dominated have the same skill, responsibility, workload, and education level as similar male-dominated jobs, and yet women get paid significantly less (“Should Congress Pass”). For instance, childcare worker is a field that is female-dominated earns 390 dollars weekly; however, a driver for a company which is male-dominated make a weekly earning of three to four times the amount of the female-dominated jobs (“Should Congress Pass”). Why is it that people value the type of work based off of significance? Looking at the summary of both jobs, one does not outweigh the other in terms of experience, skill, responsibility, or importance. Although these jobs are not extremely similar, they do require the same qualifications and commitment, and it is no surprise that the female-dominated job is paid
less. Although there is a pay gap, many people (mostly men) argue that when one looks at experience, hours worked, and the type of job which women choose, the earnings between men and women are barely different and the pay gap can be justified (Duke, Selwyn). The big debate as to why women earn less than men is the fact that they work less hours per week. Studies have shown that men are twice as likely as women to work 40 or more hours a week, while women tend to work between 35-39 hours a week (Duke, Selwyn). If one considers the fact that women work less, the pay gap does decrease and women who worked a 40 hour week would earn 88 percent of male earnings (Duke, Selwyn). It makes sense that women who work less earn less and women who work more earn more, but even a woman who works 40 hours a week still would only make 88 percent of what a man does on a yearly basis; although this makes the pay gap seem less significant, I still do not see where that is equal. Women working the same amount of hours are still earning 12 percent less than their male counterparts for the same amount of work.
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 struggle for pay equity is part of America's evolving sense of what is fair and just. After all, slavery was once an accepted part of this democratic nation; union
Nearly half of the labor force and breadwinners are women. More women are working in career fields and positions traditionally held by men. When women are not paid fairly, not only do they suffer, but so do their families. According to current research, “Despite passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which requires that men and women in the same work place be given equal pay for equal work, the "gender gap" in pay persists. Full-time women workers’ earnings are only about 77 percent of their male counterparts’ earnings. The pay gap is even greater for African-American and Latina women, with African-American women earning 64 cents and Latina women earning 56 cents for every dollar earned by a Caucasian
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.
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...
In an article for The Atlantic titled “The Workforce is Even More Divided by Race Than You Think,” Derek Thomson looks at workforce participation and wages by sex and race. He finds that regardless of sex or participation in the workforce, race takes precedence in determining how much workers make: "White men and women out-earn black men and women, who themselves out-earn Hispanic men and women, among full-time workers—even though Hispanic men have the highest participation rate" (Thomson). The reason for this, Thomson explains, is the accessibility to higher wage jobs, with whites and Asians having a much denser presence in jobs such as construction managers, CEO’s, physicians, surgeons, and software developers, whereas blacks are more likely to work as security guards or bus drivers, and Hispanics are more likely to work as maids, house cleaners, or in landscaping jobs. A central dynamic behind this is the difference in level of education between races: “Blacks and Hispanics, who make up about one-quarter of the workforce, represent 44 percent of the country’s high school dropouts and just 15 percent of its bachelor’s earners.”
The wage gap not only represents gender discrimination in the workplace, it also reflects the ongoing issue of racial discrimination. While white women do typically earn less than white men, they out earn the majority of female colored workers in America. The average African American female makes only 64 cents for the white man’s dollar. Additionally, Hispanic women receive only 54 cents to their white male coworker’s dollar (Hegewisch para. 9).
In 1963, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, making it unlawful to discriminate against a worker on the basis of sex. Since that time, the wage gap between men and women in the United States has narrowed by just 15 cents, now being 74 cents, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Laura Bassett, a reporter from the Huffington Post, explains that in today’s society women are paid 77 cents for every dollar that a man earns, resulting in women being paid an average of $37,800 a year compared to men who are paid an average of $49,400 per year in 2012 (Women Still Earned 77 Cents On Men's Dollar In 2012: Report). Also, when a man and a woman apply for the same job, the man will almost always be chosen. This has resulted in the amount of full-time working males increasing by 1 million within a years time, and the number for full-time working women remained nearly the same. To this day, females are not treated equally to males even though almost a century has gone by from 1920 when women gained their deserved suffrage rights and other rights of equivalent importance. Both men and women are standing up to spread the awareness of the meager changes to women’s rights throughout the years. One way to raise awareness is to write a book, and many books have been made about the lack of equality rights for women. In the novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, the main character Lily witnesses several equality rights between men and woman in the way that females are treated by males, which has become a major social issue in today’s society.
Gender Pay Gap also referred to as Gender wage gap, gender income difference or male-female income difference refers to the difference between the earning of men and women (Victoria, 2006). The European Union defines the Gender Pay gap as the difference between men and women’s hourly earnings (OECD, 2012). The difference may be measured on hourly, weekly, monthly, or yearly earning. The difference is expressed as a percentage of the men’s earning. However, the difference varies from one industry to another, from one country to another and from one age group to another. On average, men earn higher than women do across different sectors and nations.
Even with the Equal Pay Act of 1963, it is not very effective, benefiting women in the workforce. There are studies showing that women can do the same job as men or even better. More women are also getting more degrees then men and are shown to be more dedicated in that job field. There are also huge corporate companies that are being ran by women CEO 's. So what does America have to do to help women of America to get equal pay? America has to push the senate to vote for the Paycheck Fairness Act in order for equal pay for women to happen. Without that bill, American women will continue to work hard for less pay compare to
One cannot begin the discussion of gender pay gap without defining it. Simply put, gender pay gap is the inequality between men and women wages. Gender pay gap is a constant international problem, in which women are paid, on average, less than that of their male counterpart. As to if gender pay gap still exist, its exactness fluctuates depending on numerous factors such as professional status, country and regional location, gender, and age. In regards to gender, in some cases, both men and women have stated that the gap does not exist. Due to various countries initiatives to shrink the wage inequality between men and women wages in the work force, the gap has narrowed, respectively, which may have helped form such opinion. However, stating that the gender pay gap does not exist in today’s society, anywhere, is completely unlikely. Seeing that the gap has loosened its grasp in the working world, in other countries, the gap between pay has widen or remained stagnant. One cannot help but wonder why the gap remains consistent even with such substantial progress made in countries where the gap has decreased.
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.
Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddess, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. New York: Schocken Books. 1975.
It is very important to be concerned about 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 make 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).