The Equal Pay Act

Do you think it is fair that men typically get paid more than women? For many years there have been discussions about the difference in pay between men and women. It is evident in just about every profession, and nursing is not an exception. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2014, there were 2,751,000 registered nurses in the United States. As of 2016, about 94% of registered nurses are females, which means only about 6% of registered nurses are male. In 1963 the Equal Pay Act was passed. This act is a United States Labor Law that served the purpose of amending the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Equal Pay Act requires that both men and women should be paid equally for doing the exact same job in the same workplace.

The majority of people agree with the fact that they need to lessen the pay gap, and pay both men and women equally. In 2013 the average income for male nurses was close to $70,000, while it was about $60,000 for female nurses (USA Today). Factors such as location, years of experience, and specialty took that $10,000 pay gap and cut in half. Registered nurses who are male are said to make a little over $5,000 more than their women counterparts. Even though that might not sound like a huge gap, over a long career the gap grows and adds up to a little over $150,000 (USA Today). The largest reported pay gap exists among nurse anesthetists, the gap is about a $17,300 difference. A study conducted by UC San Francisco indicated that this massive earnings gap has not improved over the last three decades. This exact same study also showed that the earnings gaps have been decreasing in various other fields, but not nursing. “Fifty years after the Equal Pay Act, the male-female salary gap has narrowed in many occupations”(Muenich), but it persists in the nursing field. Many continue to argue that the act of paying male nurses more is unfair because female nurses do the same amount of work, and received the exact same education as male nurses. Even though work hours fluctuate for nurses, men and women, typically work the

Studies, statistics, and reasons were given as support by the people who are for lessening the pay gap. Surveys and reasons were also used by those who believe male nurses should get paid more than their women counterparts. Even after about three decades, the debate of whether or not the pay gap between men and women in nursing should exist, is still ongoing. After hearing the argument from both sides of the debate, it is up to you to decide whether or not you think it is fair for male nurses to get paid more than female