Gender Pay Gap Summary & Response Essay

A majority of women across the world are highly accountable for home duties, and child rearing, while men on the other hand are bound for working in higher paid salary jobs. As of a result of this, inequality amongst genders has turned into a controversy in the workplace. And due to this gender inequality, women have been led to poorly paid gender typed positions. The gender pay gap negatively impacts individuals and some elements that play a major role in this issue are: work experience, independent skills, specific length of time at a company, and the level of education the person has obtained. However, the

economy has changed enormously. They are increasingly holding positions in management, and we are lead to believe the pay gap between men and women are now balanced. In 1963, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act creating it a law that makes different pay wages illegal due to gender based work quality. In the 1960’s women in the United States earned an average of 59 cents for the dollar men made in equal positions. (Gender, Web). Today almost half of the workforce consist of women and are the main source of income in four out of ten households. A review of the year 2013 shows that female full-time workers only received 78 cents to the dollar earned by men (Pay,

With the majority of law based rights already having been granted to women, more focus will be put on equalizing the individual perception of gender. Although it isn’t legal to discriminate against women for the amount of work they do, or to give better jobs to men, more women are currently and will continue to push for these thoughts to cease to exist at all. As of 1963, the Equal Pay Act requires that men and women doing equal work must receive equal pay (Cunnea 9). With men and women receiving equal pay for the same work, the only things that should end up mattering for employment other than the usual experience, qualifications, and reviews of past management are an individual person’s work ethic and

“The wage gap has narrowed by more than one-third since 1960”(Hegewisch, 2010) and “the share of companies with female CEOs increased more than six-fold” (Warner, 2014) since 1997. As well as the truth that men and women’s earnings differ for many other reasons besides the presence of sexism. “Discrimination in labor market, in education/retiring programs, unequal societal norms at home and the constrained decisions men and women make about work and home issues” (Hegewisch, 2010) are also factors that can contribute to the unequal treatment of man and women in the workplace. Yet even with most of these variables removed women are still being paid less than men, sexually harassed in the workplace and hold very little managerial positions.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was passed with the intentions to give women the same, fair pay as men. Although the Equal Pay Act was passed, the wage gap is still ongoing. The wage gap is based on the difference of pay between men and women doing the same jobs. “Women make seventy-nine cent for every dollar that a male earns. This results in a wage gap of twenty-one percent. Leading to a gap of “380,000 dollars over her career” (Little 1). One can argue that this wage gap shows that men and women are not equals. Men and women work side by side, both of them doing the same jobs, yet women are continually paid less. The only explanation left is that women are not valued in the same way men are, meaning they are worth less than their male counterpart. The purpose of this poster is to show women what society believes their efforts in the workplace are worth.

Women continue to face disadvantages in the workplace in regards to not receiving equal pay as well. There are many instances where women have the same or more qualifications to do a job than their male counterparts but do not receive the same pay. This difference in pay is not only related to gender differences but also racial differences. Women employees of different racial backgrounds tend to earn less money than their white female and male counterparts. Many women of color often face discrimination when applying to jobs and are overlooked for a position despite having the qualifications to do the work. When they are hired to these occupations they are not receiving the same pay as their white female counterparts. This double bind that minority women face within the work place continues to lead to economic hardships. Regarding women in the workplace in general, due to society’s high regard for men they are often not promoted to positions of authority or receive equal pay because people assume that women are inferior workers. (Buchanan, p205-207)

As a future working woman, I have come to realize that the work I have done thus far for my career will simply not be adequate. I will not at any given point deem myself less valuable than any of my future male co-workers, who are on the same standing as I am. Yet despite similar testimonies, many American women today still face pay discrimination which has grown to become a major dilemma that shortchanges these women as well as their families.

Women have made extraordinary strides toward workplace equality in the last century. The labor-market participation rate for women 25 to 44 years of age - the average child bearing years - rose from less than 20% to more than 75% between 1900 and 1999 (Velasquez, 1.) Author Andrea Lunsford writes about the simple concept of “comparable worth” saying that concept of workers with “comparable skills, education and experience be paid equal amounts” should be a fairly simple policy to institute. (Lunsford, 617) But as many women know first hand, this practice can be fairly difficult to enforce. Many companies can even seem downright opposed to it. Women in the workplace have it hard enough; they are under more

The gender pay gap is not just a US issue, it is a concern worldwide. A United Nations report from April of 2015 found that women were paid a quarter less than men globally, and called for all governments to take action to narrow the gap. The White House Council of Economic Advisers recently called the gender pay gap a “stubborn troubling fact” despite women’s gains over the

Bias, prejudice, and discrimination are issues that are still prevalent in the world today. These issues can include: gender, race, ethnicity, or even religion. A common dilemma that the nation faces today is gender discrimination in the workplace. Women who possess the same level of competence and aptitude as men are still getting paid less in the same careers. Studies show that, “Women are paid 79 cents for every dollar paid to men” (Goldin). How can this inequality be solved? It can be easily resolved by paying men and women in the same careers equal wages.

Over the years it has become evident that women face far more significant barriers in the workforce than men do. A clear representation of this barrier is established by the gender pay gap, which is the difference in monetary amount received between a woman 's and a man 's average weekly earnings. The economy, as a social institution, is affected by gender and sex inequality. The idea of inequality in the workplace is central to explaining wage disparities and is a crucial factor that intervenes between a person 's human capital. Despite a woman 's depth of knowledge and commendable work ethic, there still remains significant obstacles to

As we shift, focusing on gender equity in the business community a quote from antiracist, educator, and author Tim Wise,“we (referring to white man) have to take some responsibility for the unearned advantage, which mean working to change the society which bestow the advantage” (Wise, 2013). Through an evaluation of a catalyst study, only 12 women in the United States have been inaugurated to the corporate boardroom. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) stated, “women are the most underutilized economic asset in the world’s economy” (Ledbetter, 2014). Perhaps, the process for a gender equality movement is slowly moving.

Throughout this literature review paper research will help address current pay inequalities, the inequalities of leadership positions, and stereotypes among women within the workforce. Though many feel the inequalities of women within the workforce have improved today, which they have compared to 5 to 10 years ago, there still needs to be major adjustments. This research is needed to pinpoint what is necessary and who, what, when, where, why, and how is to blame. It is not always the organization to blame for these inequalities or stereotypes between women within the workforce. Women themselves must be looked at as a contributing factor as well. Why? Because woman tend to feed off what others are “insinuating” about their gender/sex,

Some studies show that there are companies that have the best records for promoting women who was able to outstrip competition when it comes to profitability and performance. Yet, many believed that women still fail to attain high level positions in the organization (Johns, 2013). And for many years women had fought this right not only in the society, but as well in their place in the organization. Eventually, when women gained their rights in the society such as the right to suffrage in 1928 via the People Act 1928, this opened up new doors and opportunities for women. This paved way for women to be treated not just as a second class citizen at home, workplace and in the society (Breitenbach, 2014). Soon, debate arose on whether women should be entitled to equal pay and equal treatment in the workplace. Since the feminist movement had first achieved its goal of equality in the workplace, still many wonder if glass ceiling does still exist in the US organization. Reviewing some related information on women in the workplace, studies on the relationship between gender diversity in company performance and literature on women’s rights, this article explores the main point that glass ceiling no longer exists particularly in organizations dominated and handled by female species.

Occupational segregation and gender equality within the workforce has been extensively debated over recent decades. Gender equality within the workforce is achieved when all individuals have access and receive equal benefits, resources and opportunities regardless of their gender (WGA, 2017). This requires workplaces to; distribute equal paid work or work of comparative value, eliminate barriers that restrict full or equal employment for women, provide women with access to all industries and occupations, allow women the opportunity to hold leadership roles and eliminate gender discrimination, especially regarding care responsibilities (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2017). In doing so, these features enable women to uphold the flexibility and work opportunities that their male-counterparts enjoy. Attaining gender equality is important as it provides a foundation for society to function at its full human potential and become the most efficient and resourceful nation possible (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2017). The purpose of this essay is to analyse whether the recent increase of women entering the workforce correlates to gender inequality within the workforce. The first section of this paper will provide an understanding that despite increasing levels of women’s participation in the workforce, women continue to be underrepresented in leadership roles such as CEOs. This will further be examined through an analysis of the gender pay gap and the repercussions this