Preview

The Wage Gap And Women's Choices

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
479 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Wage Gap And Women's Choices
The Wage Gap and Women’s Choices “Join the union, girls, and together say Equal Pay for Equal Work” (Susan B. Anthony). Remember when women were not given the opportunity to be equal to their male counterparts in the workplace? Unless you are older than the age of 57, then you probably wouldn’t have. The fight for equal pay for equal work began in 1960, when women started to join the workforce. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, which aimed at abolishing the wage gap between men and women throughout The United States. For the most part, this has worked tremendously to lower the wage gap, but there are some underlying causes to this wage gap that the Equal Pay Act can not change. There is no patriarchy in America;

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Many women worked long hours and made very little compared to a man. Even children had to go work in these grueling factories and make little amount of money and put their lives in danger just to make end’s meat. After many years of not making as much money as men, women finally fought for their right to get equal pay. In 1963, the Equal Pay Act were passed by Congress.…

    • 1109 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In 1963, the first significant effort to balance the pay gap amongst men and women took place. President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963 which made it illegal for employers to pay men and women working in the same place different salaries for equal work. Roughly one year later, in 1964, congress passed the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In Title VII of the act, it stated that discrimination based on a person's race, religion, color, or sex is unlawful in the United States. Particularly, Title VII covers a more extensive range of rights by also requiring employers to provide equal opportunity of promotion, benefits, and proper compensation. Amongst the Equal Pay Act and Title VII, a happy medium is achieved which entitles all women…

    • 135 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Be it lower pay compare to a men, in 2012, female full-time workers made 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, a 23 percent gap. Women’s are considered girls who are just earning some pin money, instead of as real workers who have real jobs, as men are treated. There are lesser women in the government, because of the stereotypes. If a woman is outspoken, she get called bossy or over bearing but on the other hand if a man is outspoken he’s just doing his job. Taking care of the home and kids are woman’s job. All these stereotyping has made women see each other as competitors. When the best thing to do is to support and empower so that they can build reinforcing for their worth fight to become first class citizens. We need to work together to break the supposedly gender norm role that women have to be a certain way. Masculinity doesn’t necessary have to be associated with dominance, strength or aggression, neither does feminine role be associated with passivity or…

    • 1426 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    For obvious reasons, women should be treated fairly in all manners. Nowadays, the average household typically requires income from both men and women, which means that being paid equally is essential. That being noted, one is aware that there are certain occupations and professions that require abilities that men tend to excel in. Only in such circumstances should the difference in pay be acceptable. In the end, women currently have better opportunities and options in regards to employment and resources than they have had in history. Women are now able to further their education, open their own businesses, and receive promotions where applicable, thus creating the potential to earn even more than a…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was signed into law on June 10, 1963, by John F. Kennedy as part of his New Frontier Program. In the Equal Pay Act of 1963 it prohibits gender discrimination when it comes to the payment of their wages. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 allows both men and women to know that they can stand side by side and do the same job for the same amount of pay. This provision allows both genders to get paid equally no matter their gender. This is based off of equal work on jobs the performance of which requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working conditions.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gender Pay Gap Analysis

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This essay, published by The New York Times and written by the journalist Claire Cain Miller, establishes a counter argument for the position that many people have taken on the issue of the gender pay gap. Miller and Harvard labor economist, Claudia Goldin, established the view that the pay gap is because of gender and not because of comparisons between the different jobs that males and females take. Being informed is essential to finding solutions for an issue and in this essay Miller informs her audience and shows how information can lead to meaningful solutions. “Occupations that most value long hours, face time at the office and being on call-like business, law and surgery – tend to have the widest pay gap.” Miller establishes in what occupations…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Equal Pay Act of 1963

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Equal Pay Act of 1963 established the requirements that women should receive equal pay for their amount of work. The history of this act was to end gender-based discrimination in labor wages. Throughout history women have been paid less than men even when employed in the same jobs. It was accepted in the U.S that men deserved to earn more money than women, even if their work was exactly the same. The mindset was that men were the heads of the households and they are the primary income producer in their families.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The idea that women earn less than men in the work place is no longer a subject for debate. Study after study has shown that women earn less than their male counterparts. In 1998, for every dollar a man makes, a woman earns .73 cents (CNN, 2000). Since then it has gotten better but not by much. As of 2010 women earned .79 cents to every dollar earned by men. The gender wage gap is a statistical indicator used to show the status of women 's earnings relative to men 's. This nation, unfortunately, has a history of making gender inequality legal. Laws pass early in the 20th century showed that the view that many in the country did not believe that women could not do the same amount of work that men did. This gave way to wage disparity.…

    • 3284 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Equal Pay Gap Essay

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In a society where everyone seems to feel like a victim and justifies their feelings with videos and social media rants, a realistic problem facing women in the work force in the Wage Gap battle. This is a battle that has been going on for years. Although it has improved, many women are still struggling to be as equal as the man.…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gender Wage Gap Analysis

    • 1713 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Throughout the years men have been superior to women in labor and in gender. It’s no surprise that even to this day men are still at a higher level than women. It is a fact that women are paid less than men by a vast amount. During the American Revolution women were mostly at home serving as house maids while men did work labor and brought home the money. In the year 1970, white men were paid 100 percent of their earnings while white women got paid 58.7 percent, there is no denying the difference in the wage gap between genders. In addition, the wage gap didn't affect gender only it affected race and ethnicity. In that same year 1970, black men got paid 69.0 percent of their earnings while black women got paid 48.2 percent, it was always men that got paid more and women left behind with barely enough money to feed a household. These percentages didn't change in any way…

    • 1713 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Equal Pay Act was of 1963 prohibited sex-based wage discrimination by employers for equal jobs done by men and women. However, it is the year 2016, 53 years later, and women in the workforce in America still earn lower wages than men across and within almost all occupations. The median wages of women are lower than that of men irrespective of whether the income is measured based hourly, weekly or annual earnings (Costello and Hegewisch, 2016). There are many people that believe that the gender based wage gap is a myth. Some experts attribute the wage gap to the choices women make such as choosing occupations that do not pay higher wages, taking time off to have children, and not working long hours like men due to family responsibilities.…

    • 304 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    First, the pay that women receive is still unequal to that of their male counterparts. On average, white women are paid 78 cents to the white man’s dollar, and it is worse for women of color; for instance, to the white man’s dollar, black women are only paid 64 cents, Hispanic women are paid 54 cents, and Native American women are paid 59 cents. This is ridiculous, without a doubt. Gender and race should not have anything to do with it. Furthermore, besides the wage gap, many women in work are needlessly sexualized. In an article by Beth Elise Schneider from the University of Massachusetts, she explains the results of a study done on sexuality in the workplace. The issues that women have experienced, according to this study, include sexual harassment and objectification. In some cases, women are even let go because men find their bodies “distracting’, when they should not be staring at women in a professional environment at all. This directly connects to my third point: men do not take women seriously in the labor force. Many men see women as less than human or view them as not capable of performing “a man’s job”. I find these stereotypes incredibly demeaning to a woman’s…

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Gender Wage Gap Thesis

    • 1704 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Throughout the years men have been superior to women in labor and in gender. It’s no surprise that even to this day men are still at a higher level than women. It is a fact that women are paid less than men by a vast amount. During the American Revolution women were mostly at home serving as house maids while men did work labor and brought home the money. In the year 1970, white men were paid 100 percent of their earnings while white women got paid 58.7 percent, there is no denying the difference in the wage gap between genders. In addition, the wage gap didn't affect gender only it affected race and ethnicity. In that same year 1970, black men got paid 69.0 percent of their earnings while black women got paid 48.2 percent, it was always men…

    • 1704 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Equal Pay For Women

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Women work just as hard as men during their working hours. Women who worked hard for their education and job are treated unfairly with their wage. Almost all jobs for women pay less than what a man earns doing the same job. For instance, “In researching this issue at the Center for Gender Studies, we found only four occupational categories for which comparison data were available in which women earned even a little more than men: special education teachers, order clerks, electrical and electronic engineers and food preparation occupations (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)” (Lips 309-310). Many occupations for women do not offer equal or more pay than men receive. The opportunity for women to earn even a little more than men in equal positions is limited to four categories of occupations. Not all women want to fit themselves into those careers. More occupations should be available for women at equal pay of men. Women do not deserve to be paid less than men in equal positions. This is causing women to be upset because they believe even though they have the education, experience and deserve to succeed in the workplace, they face the challenge to receive the same wage as men do. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was a positive step forward for women in the workplace, but no major changes to benefit working women have been implemented since then. Another example states "It's been 51 years since the Equal Pay Act was passed, and women still aren't getting equal pay for equal work," says Lisa Maatz, vice president of government relations at the American Association of University Women. "The whole point of the Paycheck Fairness Act would have been to tighten up the gender pay gap"(Little). Equal pay has been a problem in the United States for a long time. Over the years, many have rallied to make it better for women in the workforce, but the…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Over the past hundred years, women’s participation in the workforce has grown significantly. Today’s women are getting college degrees which was not common before the mid-twentieth century. More of them than ever are taking jobs that were originally run by men. Many women are going into medicine, engineering, and law which was nearly impossible fifty years ago. Their ability to get into these fields allows them to pursue careers they could never before. However, there is a major gender pay gap. Men are still to this day paid way more than women. Although men have a large impact on our nation’s workforce, women perform job tasks just as effectively, therefore they are completely worthy…

    • 1615 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays