The Gender Wage Gap Did you know that women would have to stay at least ten more years in the workforce to earn the same amount as men? All through history, discrimination has been a constant blight on human existence; whether it is race, gender, or religion. Unfortunately, when both genders have the same experience, are equally trained, and possess the same degree the pay is not equal. Women and men are not treated equally in the workplace, even though it is the twenty-first century. Women working full-time, year-round earn a median salary of $41,554 compared to men 's median salary of $51,640 (Semega). The disparity is $10,086 per year and when calculating over the course of their career the difference is almost half a million dollars. This reduces women’s lifetime earnings and affects their pension, retirement, and social security. Although the wage gap has existed since the 1800’s, the increased participation of women in the labor force correlates with the decrease of the wage gap. The wage gap has dwindled over the years; however, the progress has slowed down in the past two decades. “At …show more content…
In Lauren Dixon’s article, “5 Ways to Fix the Gender Pay Gap” she provides her readers with solutions on mitigating the gender pay gap. Dixon mentions March 8 “A Day Without A Woman” and she discusses the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to the American economic system (Dixon). Flexible work, paid leave, on-site childcare, pay transparency, and improved feedback on performance reviews are the suggestions that Lauren Dixon offers to close the wage gap (Dixon). Another public awareness day to show the gap between men and women’s earning is Equal Pay Day. This day in April symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. The American Association of University Women suggests to raise the Federal minimum wage, offer affordable child care, wage transparency, and they encourage women to develop negotiating skills