Unequal Pay For Equal Work: The Wage Gap in America Sexism and gender-based discrimination in the workplace are rampant in America. Although the issue of women's rights' in the United States has advanced tremendously in the last few decades, the wage gap still exists. The term "occupational segregation" refers to the gender disparities in various occupations. Although many women have made significant progress in the last few decades by moving into occupations previously held exclusively by men, many industries have experienced few advances in the gender integration of work ("Pay Equity & Discrimination"). For example, occupations like construction are still male-dominated and have made no progress in the last 40 years. It is integral to Americas …show more content…
In order to create equality amongst men and women, the wage gap must first be eradicated. Gender-based discrimination in hiring, pay, and promotion exists, despite being illegal. President John F. Kennedy, a firm believer in gender equality, signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963. This act made it illegal to pay men and women working in the same place different salaries for similar work. Even though this law is still in effect today, the wage gap continues to exist. Congress has considered and failed to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act several times. This act would benefit working women by a stricter enforcement of the Equal Pay Act and a prohibition to sex discrimination (Rios). Passing this act would ensure pay equality for women and decrease discrimination in hiring and promotions. A 2010 study conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that women earn more than men in only 4 out of 111 occupations (where data is present for comparisons) ("A Socialist Feminist Analysis of the Gender Pay Gap"). Typically jobs predominantly held by women pay less on average than jobs predominantly held by men. Women earn more college and graduate degrees than men, yet they are still paid less. If America continues to move at the same slow rate it currently is, pay equality will be reached in 2059, 44 years from now ("Pay Equity &
Throughout history, it can be seen that many events reoccur in the same way. There is a period of prosperity and confidence, followed by a period of depression and despair. That later on leads to a period of attempting restoration to recover from that depression. The "Roaring Twenties" is a perfect example of this case, as the economic prosperity and confidence during the 1920's led to depression and despair to restoration.
Kennedy. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the purpose of this act was to abolish discrimination based on gender in the workforce. It required men and women to receive equal pay for equal work. It states that employers may not pay unequal wages to men and women who perform the same job that require equal skill, effort, responsibility, and similar work conditions (cite source). Based on people’s opinions and what they believe in, they may assume the gender wage gap doesn’t matter or that it even exists. These people tend to believe that women, and their choices, are the reason they are earning less than men. According to an article published by Time, there are six reasons why women are not making the same amount of money as men. One of the reasons stated was that men work harder than women (cite source). According to the United States Department of Labor, women made up 46.4% of the civilian labor force in 2005. Also over the past decade (1995-2005), there have been roughly 17 million jobs created and women acquired 48.8% of these jobs (cite source). This disproves that women do not work as hard as men, because they make up almost half of the workforce. Another reason stated by the Time article was that men pursue higher-paying, more prestigious careers (cite
Ancient Greek poetry is celebrated for portraying classic tales of heroics and epic legends, yet very few poets were concerned with the unpretentious livelihoods of the common man. Among these Greek poets is Hesiod, whose works have been sourced for its depictions of early social customs and economic practices. Hesiod is distinct from other ancient singers because he may have been a tangible person, and not simply a figure pieced together from a cluster of other bards. His surviving piece, Works and Days, demonstrates his physical existence as a guide for his inept brother, Perses. He warns Perses that the unscrupulous road he is following would lead only to calamity and despair.
After years of Civil Rights Movements and Pay Equity Acts, as of 2014, women still only make 79 cents to a man 's every dollar. Although the wage gap has shrunk since the 1970’s, progress has recently stalled and chances of it vanishing on its own is unlikely. The gains that American women have made towards labor market experience and skills is tremendous. In fact, women account for 47% of labor workforce and 49.3% of American jobs. But despite of women’s strides, a gender pay gap still exists. Experts suggest that it will take 100 years to close the gap at the rate employers and legislators are working to create solutions. But by allowing women to work in higher paying positions and by proposing and updating pay equity laws, the gender gap can finally be diminished.
Men and women today work in the same business industry, but the pay between genders is not the same. The New York Times article, Let’s Expose the Gender Pay Gap, by Joanne Lipman states, “More than half-century after President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the
Gender equality is something that has been a problem through the ages. Susan B. Anthony and many others fought for the right to vote which was granted in 1920. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law stating that no employer can discriminate based on gender. The American Association of University Women published a graph on Women’s Median Annual Earnings as a Percentage of Men’s Median Annual Earnings for Full-time, Year-round Workers, 1974-2014 and it shows that in 1974, women were paid 59% of what men were paid. The graph shows the improvements over the years and that in 2014, women were paid 79% of what men were paid. The gap has not budged since 2014. The gender pay gap has improved over the years, but it will not close until new legislation passes.
Many people in the United States are not aware that women still earn considerably less than men or that equal pay is an issue for everyone in this country. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was signed by John F. Kennedy on June 10, 1963 and stated that men and women should be given equal pay for equal work. Although people acknowledge it as an important act, but no one enforces it. People of the working society are face discrimination by race, religion, and gender.
Equality has been a topic of major discussion in the last decade. Equality, which definition consists of the state of being equal or the same, has not had a major impact on gender pay. Men are known to make more money than women simply based on gender. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was supported by President John F. Kennedy to cease the gender pay gap and allow women equal rights in wages as men. Although, it has been fifty four years since The Equal Pay Act of 1963 went into effect, it seems as if the idea for equal pay for women is still not only a topic for debate, but also an issue for women that needs to be resolved.
Women have made significant strides in society, proving themselves to be as capable as men in the workforce. However, while women are making equal contributions, men and women are not earning equal wages. Even though the Equal Pay Act was established in 1963, women continue to earn lower wages than men over half a century later. This inequality not only affects women as individuals but has a detrimental effect on the national economy. The gender wage gap in the United States should end because it is unjust; correcting it would have social and economic benefits for the U.S.
According to Kim (2015), there has been a great deal of change to the workforce ever since the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was enacted. Since this time, there has been a huge influx of women entering into the job market, where there had not been prior to the law. This meant that during the time of the laws creation there had not been near the women receiving pay for their services like there were in the years to follow. To help modernize this change amendments needed to be added and this included the Equal Pay Act of 1963. This Act made it mandatory for employers to offer equal pay to both men and women who perform equal work (Kim, 2015, p. 648). However, since this law has been created there has been an ongoing problem with making sure it is being followed and still today there is a gender pay gap.
“More than fifty years ago, in 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed landmark legislation that would guarantee equal pay to both men and women working under the same employer. The Equal Pay Act was the first in a series of major federal and state laws that had a profound effect on job opportunities and earnings for women over the next half century, and laid the foundation for the movement of women into the paid labor force at unprecedented levels (whitehouse.gov).”
The extensive studies conducted over the past 50 years on gender based wage gap show that even though the gap has narrowed over the years, it still irrefutably exists. The laws such as The Equal Pay Act of 1963, which prohibit gender based wage discrimination, and The Civil Rights Act, helped reduce the wage gap over the years but did not help eradicate it. Numerous studies and scholarly research continue to show the differences in the earnings of men and women, for equal work. Figure 1 shows the wage discrimination from the 1960s to the year 2015.
Gender pay gap is defined as women are paid less than their male counterpart. Congress passed the Equal Pay Act of 1963 which intended to forbid sex-based wage bias between genders in a work environment. A study done by the American Association University Women (AAUM) conducted a survey in 2012 which found an 82% difference in earning concerning men and women one year after they graduated from college. Occupations such as engineering, computer science, and business institution hold the biggest wage gaps amount genders (Higgins 222). Women, who are as equally trained and educated, are not getting paid equally to men, even if they have similar abilities. Women in the workplace can produce the exact identical outcome as men are still getting underpaid due to their gender. However, the gap becomes increasing more noticeable as the women move up the scale in her career. In 2013, White women earn an estimation of 75.3% less than what White men net yearly. However, women of color earn much less compared to White men. An African-American woman earns an estimate of 63.3% and Hispanic women earn 54.4% of what White men net yearly (Goodman). Regardless of race, if both genders can produce the same result and at the same rate, they should be paid equally. Women will experience a slower progression compared to their male colleagues. Nonetheless, of having laws and amendments supporting equal pay, studies have
The debate of equal pay between men and women has been an ongoing issue for years and is still being debated to this day, the belief that men deserve to be paid more than women solely based on gender, is an outdated opinion that is being addressed through different types of legal laws. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was "the first step towards an adjustment of balance in pay for women (EEOC, n.d.). The Equal Pay Act of 1963 is an amendment of the Fair Labor Standards Acts, a federal statute of the United States. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 is a U.S. federal law enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and aimed at ending wage mismatch based on sex. . The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was signed into law on June 10, 1963, by John F. Kennedy as part of his New Frontier Program (EEOC, n.d.). The Equal Pay Act of 1963 enforced that, Employers
1.The number “4″ is considered extremely unlucky, to the point where most buildings in Korea do not have a 4th floor. This is actually true in many parts of Asia because the number four is a homonym with the word death in Chinese. For this reason, many countries in Asia consider the number to be extremely unlucky. So much so that many hotels skip the fourth floor.