From a young age, both men and women are socialized in starkly different ways. What is expected of them oftentimes depends primarily on their gender and reproductive capacity. The two significant differences in society’s expectations across genders are based in who is the caregiver in the family, as opposed to who takes on the role of the breadwinner, and the positions both men and women occupy in the workplace. These factors contribute to men getting paid more than the women in the same positions, and the wage gap widening even further based on other factors such as race, ethnicity, and family status.
Women have always played a crucial role in the economy, unfortunately, their work is unnoticed and overlooked, since they often contribute to the informal economy and to the domestic sphere (Wage Gap, Women and Work). According to calculations by the World Bank, $11 trillion “earned” by women are missing from the global economy each year. This number represents the value of
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However, women should not wait for the change to come. Based on the decrease of the wage gap from early 2000 until 2015 some predict it will disappear only in 2152 (Gender Wage Gap, Women and Work). Therefore, women must advocate for equal pay. On a personal level, women must be more assertive when it comes to salary negotiations and asking for promotions. Demanding equal pay is only fair, it is the minimum women in the workplace deserve. Moreover, companies should be encouraged to be more transparent with salaries across different positions. AAUW urges companies to conduct salary audits to proactively monitor and address gender-based pay differences. This was any inequality will be proven, and it will be possible to take measures to eliminate it. Considering the importance of women in the workforce and the benefits of equal pay, better economy and quality of life, such measures are only