Introduction In the beginning of the semester, during the first day of class we were asked what were some social problems that bothered us, interested us, or something we wanted to learn more about. The first thing I thought of was equal pay between men and women. With the ratification of the 19th amendment, women became legally equal to men. Then in 1963, the Equal Pay Act was passed yet. Yet today, the wage gap between men and women still exists. According to the White House’s official website, women working full time are only earning around 77% of what their male coworkers are earning. This problem is even worse with the factor of race involved. I feel as if this is an overlooked and forgotten issue. I don’t want to pay the same amount of tuition as a fellow male student, receive the same years of education, and end up having the same position as him making less money.
Current Press on the Problem An article written by, Eileen Patten, was just posted by the Pew Research Center. April 14th was deemed Equal Pay Day. This name means that in order for a women to receive the same earnings has her male coworker as last year (365 days) she would have to work until today. This means a woman would have to work 469 days to make as much as a man would in 365 days. This article also cites the White House’s website, adding on that both women and men notice this inequality. 77% of women and 63% of men believe that this is an issue that needs to change. Patten also provides a
First of all, the gender pay is a real problem in the world, despite what many think. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the gender pay gap is “the difference between the amounts of money paid to women and men, often for doing the same work”. This is important because many people think that the gender wage gap does not exist, even though it clearly does. Another reason why this is important is because many people argue that the gender wage gap exists because women have lesser-paying jobs, when a lot of the time it happens between men and women working the same job. Many people do not realize what the gender pay gap actually is, and they form an opinion of it before they know what it really is.
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.
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.
Today, the working industry has made substantial progress towards gender equality pay while adding numerous career opportunities for woman in the workforce. However, society still poses ethical concerns between women and men regarding gender pay gap and discrimination for the same job function that apparently still exist. To put it differently, women regrettably have struggled as they continue in trying to make headway in gaining the respect of the working-class industry since the mid-1900’s. In some cases, researchers state that women in the workforce will not get paid equally for the same job function because of discrimination of gender gap. According to one research study, “there is still a gender pay gap. Women continue to earn considerably less than men on average” (Blau & Kahn, 2007, p. 8). While men have the higher ground of work tenure there should be equal pay for women with the same qualifications; I will argue the concerns of gender gap pay while using the utilitarian theory, deontological theory and the objection of moral reasoning to prove the ethical theory.
The gender pay gap is a problem nationwide in the United States. It is a phenomenon that affects women of all education levels, ages, and races. Although it varies in a state-by-state basis, the pay gap is prevalent in all states (Miller, 2017). The issue is also occupation-wide, meaning that nearly every occupation will have a gender gap (Miller, 2017). Statistics from The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap have shown that while an increase in education help women earn more, it does not eliminate the problem all together or close the gap (Miller, 2017). As of recent statistics, women are paid approximately 80 cents for every dollar a man makes, however, the gap is worse for women of color, especially, when compared to the salary of that of white men; African American women earn 63% of the salary that white men earn, Native American women earn 58%, and the largest gap is for Latina women, who earn only 54% (Miller, 2017).
One key issue that is covered by the Women’s Rights movement is shrinking the pay gap. Currently in the U.S. women earn roughly eighty cents to every full dollar earned by a man ("Pay Equity"). This accounts for the fact that the average American male
Have you ever noticed how women are below men in society, whether it’s politically or financially. This all starts with women’s rights of equality and making America a place free of racism and inequality. Women are as hard working, efficient, and spiritually strong as men.
The wage gap is the difference between what men and women are paid solely based on their gender. Women are paid less than men in virtually every job category tracked by the bureau of labor statistics. Women are paid less than men even when factors such as schools, grades, and majors are taken into account. Official data from the government even states that women make seventy-four cents for ever dollar that men make. In 2015, u.s. women working full time were only payed eighty percent of what full time men earned. The highest wage gap in the country occurs in Louisiana. Throughout a Louisiana woman's career, she loses out on about $671,840 that could have been earned if she was a man. Florida, however has the smallest wage gap (not taking race
The gendered wage gap has been a controversial topic that's been around since women started working at jobs for money in the United States during the 1900’s era. With a steadily increasing amount of women working at jobs, came steadily strong opinions about women’s work rights. Women had been given a lesser wage compared to their male counterparts and it outraged women. However, as women were treated more and more equal, their wages were treated more equally as well. Then came a stand still in this improving equality for women in the 21st century, as it has been debated that women are now treated equally, compared to men. This standstill has caused even further debate ranging from several things with most focusing on
In 1963, the Equal Pay Act was passed by Congress; it required that men and women at the same workplace be paid the same amount of money for equal work (EEOC). However, this law was not enforced whatsoever and fifty-five years later little to no change has been seen. Researchers say that if nothing is done by the government soon, the United States will not reach pay equity until 2059 (WeForum). The pay gap narrowed slightly in the 1980s, but since then the average pay gap country-wide has remained around 80 cents to a dollar. In Columbus, Ohio, where women make up more than 50% of the population, there is an even lower gap at 78 cents to a dollar for white women, 64 cents to a dollar for African American women, and 61 cents to a dollar for Latinas. If these discrepancies did not exist then women who work full-time, year-round jobs being paid the same amount of money as men for the same job with the same qualifications then they would be able to buy eighty more weeks of food (one and a half years’ worth), pay for nine more months of mortgage/utility payments, and for more than fourteen additional months of rent (National Partnership). This is why the Columbus City Council should pass a law/ordinance that makes it illegal in Columbus, Ohio for companies and businesses to pay their employees a different salary for jobs that require equal qualifications of men and women of all
The gender wage gap issue has been around since the old days. Now, it has been reported that the gender wage gap has been widening among the young, fresh and newly graduated educated students.
This bill’s aim is to amend current acts dealing with equal pay and create new ones to continue efforts to prevent/discourage discrimination in the workplace.
The Huffington post (n.d) notes that in 2015, and on average, women still make 78 cents to a man's dollar. A new report goes beyond that oft-quoted statistic and examines this discrepancy along racial, geographical and educational lines. The American Association of University Women's (AAUW) "The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap" report breaks down the wage gap in every state, including Washington D.C., using data from 2013. The U.S. capital comes closest to pay equity, with women earning an average of 91 percent of the wages that men do. At the bottom of the list is Louisiana, where women earn just 66 percent of what men do. The report also found that women of color continue to be hit hardest by the gender wage gap. Asian-American women
The gender wage gap has been a substantial subject that has had numerous studies done, that included extensive debates and commentary for the past three centuries. In fact, the gender wage gap predominantly affects women. For example, in 2003 people reported that women make eighty cents for every dollar men make(Gender Pay 8). For one thing, women should not be getting paid less for doing the same job as men. The individual hired at the same time as another individual should receive the same starting pay until it is shown they deserve more pay than they are receiving. If the wage gap continues to grow at the rate it has been, it will be another fifty years before women make the same as men (Discrimination 1). The workforce has grown a considerable
America prides itself on equality but no one is truly equal until men and women are not treated the same way and given equal pay for the same work. Unequal pay is a major social injustice that has recently been spreading across the nation. Women have come a long way in American society, they now have the right to vote and are bread winners for many households, but they still have a long way to go. The wage gap in USA as of 2016 is that a woman makes 80 cents to a man’s dollar. This kind of discrimination is extremely prevalent in today’s society and there is no conscious effort being put forward to close the wage gap. It is predicted that the wage gap will be closing in the year 2152, but to get results now and have this discrimination end