Equal pay for women Essays

Introduction The gender pay gap has long been investigated and it is hard to pinpoint exactly why there is a gap between the amounts of money that men earn the amount of money earned by women. There are so many factors that go into why someone is paid more than someone else that it could be said because of so many of these factors that a wage gap does not exist at all. Throughout the paper wage gap will be explored and how choices both men and women make factor into the pay gap. Also how a wage gap may not exist and it all lies in choices made by both genders, but the most common idea of discrimination towards women could also be a factor in pay differences.

Gender Pay Gap The wage gap disparity against women and racial groups is extremely important to acknowledge because it is a violation of equal rights. Not only unequal pay disparity against women is discrimination, but it also discriminatory based on race. The pay gap also affects the economy and society. How does unequal gender pay affect society, women would not feel discriminate and the economy will be better. Poverty levels for all working women would be cut in half, falling from 8.0 percent to 3.8 percent (Institute for Women’s Policy Research).

From birth, men and women were born equal to one another. Both genders have the ability to share the same opportunities, and achieve whatever desires they choose in life. In our current society as well as the past, this does not entirely follow through. “Gender is a social construct that specifies the socially and culturally appropriate roles that men and women are to play” (Kearl 2011). Going along that “it is one of the most universal measures upon which status is based (Kearl 2011).

The truth regarding the gender pay gap is that it affects females from different backgrounds, ages, races and educational levels. This ongoing issue does not seem likely to go away on its own. Women, who are as equally trained and educated, with the same experience as men are not getting equal pay. In today’s society, stereotypes are generated concerning women’s capabilities and this result in discrimination. Gender discrimination in work circumstances takes on many different forms; ranging from different payments between men and women who perform the same duties equally as well as when the income of men and women and retirement savings are stacked up against their health care cost and life expectancies, women are much farther behind than men are.

The gender pay gap is the difference between earnings made by men and earnings by women. The Gender pay gap is generally due to various reasons, such as differences discrimination in hiring process, differences in negotiations for pay, differences in education choices, differences in the jobs men can go compare to women can’t easily go for. Some factors that cause the gender pay gap: • Women leave and re-enter the workforce to meet their family and children expectations • Low pay for some jobs, like childcare due to historical trends that continue • Lower educational levels of women due to traditions • Discrimination in the hiring process, compensation and promotion at workplace.

“Overall, women are paid 80 cents for every man’s dollar” (Ness n.pg.) One of the most prevalent topics in the last decade men and women alike have been actively working for equality in this pay disparity, and fighting to eliminate this discrimination against women. It is true a gap exists in the earnings between men and women; however, there are too many factors left out of the statistic to be as simple as discrimination. Employment statistics have shown that throughout history humans of different gender and race have different tendencies in the workplace, and jobs they choose. That is why the Gender Wage Gap does not have to do with gender discrimination because of such factors as specific occupation choices, average hours worked, and average

In 2010, President Obama addressed the issue of the gender wage gap in a written statement that stated “even in 2010, women make only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn”. The president also put pressure on the committee to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act that gives women the right to sue their employees if they’re not being paid the same as men, provided they have the same skills, experience and education. The act takes immediate steps to narrow down the wage gap, if it actually existed. Nevertheless, despite that bill being passed, many argue that the wage gap is a result of “sex discrimination”. They believe in this part of the world, women are drawing even with men in terms of education and experience, yet men are paid more and do better

I believe that gender inequality is one of the most serious topics that is taken under consideration in this modern day society. According to Wikipedia the definition of gender inequality is the unequal way society is treating each other based on their gender (1). Men and women face gender inequality every single day, but most are in the shadows of how badly this affects both genders and not just women. Each country faces many different variations of gender inequality from social expectations to domestic abuse. Some cases may be more recognized compared to others but that does not mean it is not just as important, but it is just not as publicized.

Discrimination in all forms has been a persistent issue since a very long time; whether it is ethnicity, gender or physical appearance. One important discrimination that people face everyday, is in the workplace. Women earn 79- cents for every dollar a man earns. “An awful lot of times people will say there is no income gap”(Puzzanghera), but there is. Women being equally qualified and skilled for the same job a man does is paid less than him.

The Gender Pay Gap in the United States For centuries, women have been subject to many different types of inequalities. Consequently, they are subjects of disadvantages every day. From politics, economics, education, and even health care, gender inequality exists everywhere. One of the biggest problems this causes is a distribution of wealth between men and women. Even though this has been a persistent issue to date, there has been little talk of change.

“Honestly, I don’t understand what there is to argue about,” Matthew stated, shrugging. He acted as if his opinion was the only one that mattered. “Matthew, there is a lot to argue about. You say the gender pay gap doesn’t exist, but it obviously does! Did you know that a woman only earns 77 cents for every dollar that a man does?

Imagine being a hard-working woman with a successful career and a well-known name. Now picture making 0.07% of what your male counterpart is making. Unfortunately, in today's world, envisioning this is not impossible, seeing as though it is happening right now in Hollywood. Michelle Williams, a famous actress known for The Greatest Showman, made merely $1,000 when asked to reshoot certain scenes from the movie All The Money In The World. To Mark Wahlberg, William’s counterpart and equally accredited actor with numerous famous movies in his repertoire such as Ted, these reshoots added 1.5 million dollars to his bank account.

Gender Pay Gaps Introduction Gender pay gap by definition is the earning differences between women and men in paid employment in labor market. It is one of the many indicators of gender inequality in a country when examining labor market participation in terms of gender (OECD). The study “Global Employment Trends for Women” published by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2018 provides current information about the global gender pay gap. When looking at the decline or increase in the pay gap between women and depend all on the data available and change between regions and countries.

Gender equality: the pinnacle concept that American society is not-so desperately trying to achieve. Many Americans have convinced themselves that gender equality was remedied by the Nineteenth Amendment and the Second Feminist Movement, and have not considered the thousands of steps that are left on the journey. In recent years, a matter of public interest has been the gender wage gap, stating that women are earning significantly less money than men for doing an equivalent amount of work. Critics of the effort to “break the glass ceiling” claim that a pay gap does not exist, and that if it does, it is because women either do not work as hard, have to tend to their families, or hold lower paying jobs. However, the gender pay gap has been proven to exist in a variety of different forms,

For hundreds of years women have fought for equality. For jobs, education, the right to vote, or even the right to earn the same pay as men – something that women in 2015 are still fighting for. Wage gap – two words, seven letters, and two syllabuses’. Who ever thought something that’s spelled so simply could cause chaos around the globe. I bet you’re wondering, “What is ‘the wage gap’?”

What is the meaning of gender gap in earnings? Well according to Webster’s dictionary it is the differences between women and men, especially as reflected in social, political, intellectual, cultural, or economic attainments or attitudes. Some variables such as race, age and education affect the earnings ratio between both genders. Studies demonstrate that women consistently earn less than men across numerous demographic variables. Increase in women’s earnings relative to men’s can be attributed to either increases in the real earnings of women, declines in the earnings of men, or both operating at the same time.

Wages are given as the price of labor for the work done by an individual, and the reward for the investment on the human capital of the worker. However, despite the rise in equal opportunity employers and feminist movements upholding equality in the workplace, there is still a large disparity in the wages received by workers based on one’s sex. Borjas (2005) stated that wage inequality can be explained by the difference in productivity of workers and the rate of return of skills. This wage inequality is manifested in the wage gap and is usually seen between sexes and among various races.

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.

It is said that because of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the gender wage gap no longer exists. Studies today show that the gender wage gap is still very much alive. In the 6th edition of Women’s Voices, Feminist Visions: Classic and Contemporary Readings written by Susan M. Shaw and Janet Lee, Shaw and Lee explain, “the gender wage gap is an index of the status of women’s earnings relative to men’s and is expressed as a percentage and is calculated by diving the median annual earnings for women by the median annual earnings for men” (Shaw and Lee 497). Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics in 2010 showed the ratio of women’s to men’s annual earnings were 77%. This means for every dollar a man made, a woman made 77 cents.

When it comes to sexual health there are significant gender inequalities, according to Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) more women contract STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) from men than vice versa, therefore the risk is much higher for woman (IFPA, HIV/AIDS & Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights). Women are also at risk of RTIs (Reproductive Transmitted Infections). Sexuality is a social construct by those dominant in society. The dominant group in most societies is heterosexual men.