Premium Essay

The Controversy of Gender Pay Gap

In:

Submitted By sakinahjackson
Words 1069
Pages 5
Sakinah Jackson
HUM 325
Professor Slavin
June 1, 2014
The Controversy of Gender Pay Gap

On behalf of women’s suffrage social activist have scrutinized the gender pay gap to promote social justice and propel lawmakers to remedy the economical injustices of women. Since the Equal Pay Act has been enacted by John F. Kennedy the gender pay gap has slowly narrowed. However, disparity of the gender pay continues to exist and until economical parity between the sexes is resolved controversy will invariably persist. Discrimination in the work force has been displayed statistically through reports from eminent sponsors. Capitol Hill reports that there is a 23 cent division between wages in the broad spectrum of work professions. What are the factors that contribute to this disparity? Critics who denounce gender discrimination in the work place, support the idea that the pay gap factors around the differences in women’s and men’s typical occupation preference. These supporters of this theory reinforce that, more women who acquire a degree are likely to study education and social services which are some of the lower paying professions. Men on the other hand are more likely to study engineering and medicine and this is the explanation for the variance. However, the culpability cannot be pointed at one single handedly thing. Even though discrimination does play a big factor, other aspects of the gender division contribute as well. For one, women taking off more days due to societal expectations of family care during the birth of children and when children are sick is one factor. Of the parents mothers are typically the ones who have the duty of nurturing the children. When women have children they have the propensity to take days off to care for children and they are privileged with these rights

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Gender Wage Gap

...The gender wage gap has been an issue in the United States for many years. People argue that women in the workforce get paid less than what men in the workforce do, even if they are working with the same educational experience and same position. This topic interests me because I am surprised that people in the United States in 2015 are still treating women as inferior to men. I have always heard about the gender wage gap problem in the news on television or online. Something that I already know about this topic is that women get treated unfairly in the workforce when it comes to getting paid. Employers don’t pay women as much money as they pay men in the same field throughout the year or even throughout the month. The main questions I want...

Words: 393 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Income and Gender Inequality in Todays World

...INCOME AND GENDER INEQUALITY IN TODAYS WORLD In President Obama 2012 State of the Union, he called it "the defining issue of our time." (CNN). Income inequality is the extent to which there is a distribution of revenue unevenly among the population. Unfortunate this creates a gap between the rich and everyone. It also gives the idea whether income distribution is fair or unfair. Income inequality is growing in the market day by day, and it is calculated based on the population present in the economy. The United States has a comparatively high level of income inequality results from labor market changes, changes in household composition, the shift from industrialized employment to high paying technical services jobs, and lower paying retail trade jobs. The argument has deliberated by some who say that in one way, income inequality can fuel economic growth. According to their argument, a greater portion of the rich's income is not spent on consumables, but instead, they are likely to save and invest more (AAUW). As a result of this, there is predictable economic growth due to the increased investment made by those with high incomes over the years. Income inequality is viewed by most people to be a result of government policies that impact the distribution of revenue among its population (AAUW). Gender income inequality is the gap between the income of men and women among the people in the economy. It is the average difference between male and females aggregate hourly income. Through...

Words: 820 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Inequalities In Women's Soccer Essay

...Inequalities in women’s soccer (Women’s National Soccer Team; successful but not equal) Thesis: Although women’s soccer has come along way, as a result of Title IX, gender discrimination is still seen in women’s professional’s sports today. Over the last year, issues about pay, field conditions, and even feminism have surfaced as a result of this summers Women’s World Cup. I. Introduction a. Quote “I don’t want to be considered a great female athlete, I want to be a great athlete”. The idea of a professional female athlete is a fairly new concept that has only developed in the last century. b. Women’s soccer in relatively new to the U.S., however, the sport has been revolutionized by the tremendous success of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer...

Words: 945 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Equality Of Pay Research Paper

...Dominique Hollie Professor Bitzenhofer December 2, 2016 Texas Government 2306 - 014 Equality of Pay It is interesting to realize how anybody can go to the store, see a male and female cashier who both have been working at the store for 7 years, both work equally as hard and even sometimes the female will work harder than the male. Little do people know, is that the female, like many others in the United States, especially in Texas, are only receiving 77% of what her fellow male co worker is making. Currently in Texas, employers are protected by a pay equity policy called the Fair Pay Act of 2013. They are also pending the Fair Minimum Wage act to raise minimum wage in which the costs from $8.20 would rise to $9.15 after one year and...

Words: 1007 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

The Boundaries Of Her Body Analysis

...are exceedingly rare, despite what media reports might suggest. Almost as rare are cases when rapists actually go to jail more so than strangers.his article The Real Campus Sexual Assault Problem. He explains that a common controversy comes up at colleges where rape is concerned when alcohol is involved, and whether or not that is rape. Conservatives and liberals have shown the different sides of this debate while conservatives argue that evidence should be “clear and convincing”. Liberals tend to push for a less demanding standard. Because of this controversy, many victims fear that their case may not be successful in court, causing...

Words: 1584 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Res/351 Bussiness Research Part 1

...Week Three Team “C” Business Equal Pay Paper RES/351 October 12, 2013 Instructor: Fredrick Ohanesian Business Equal Pay Paper Many years in the pass, it has always been known that the pay scales or opportunity for men and women have been unequal in favor of men. There have been many reasons for the indifferences but none of them have been proven to be true. It is only now that it has become an issue for business due to the government regulations have now made it an ethical issue that has to be addressed or a business can be fined or shutdown if found not to be within the government standards. So the research question then becomes why management or companies continue to try to justify the need not to be regulated when it continues to be a problem within many organizations. Based on the history of this nation it was determined back in the 60’s that there were evidence that pay and benefits differences for women in similar jobs was not equal. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 and reinforced later with the Lilly Ledbetter Act of 2009 which has given the government the tools to address the problems for businesses for now and the future. It stated that if male or female or in a similar job with the same set of skills required to perform it the pay and benefits must be the same. If there is evidence of sex based wage discrimination within the same company or organization the employee or government can open an investigation to see if any equal opportunity laws have been violated. Once...

Words: 973 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Us Male vs. Female Pay Differences: Has the Wage Gap Narrowed and Why

...Male vs. Female Pay Differences: Has the Wage Gap Narrowed and Why? Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………….. 3 Introduction………………………………………………………………………… 4 Literature Review…………………………………………………………………... 5 History of Inequity………………..………………………………………... 6 Pay Equity…………..……………………………………………………... 7 Trends in the Gender Pay Wage Gap…........................................................ 10 Trends in the 1980s………………………………..………………………. 11 Trends in the 1990s………………………………………………………… 12 The Human Capital Theory……..…………………………………………. 14 Sex Segregation Theory……………………………………………………. 15 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………. 16 Predictions for the future…………………………………………………... 17 References………………………………………………………………………….. 18 Abstract Pay differences between men and women is still a topic that keeps re-surfacing over the years. Since the signing of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, it is now illegal to pay men and women substantially different wages for equal work. The question is could there still be pay disparity between men and women in today’s labor market. This paper evaluates the dilemma faced by employers and reviews the trends in the gender wage gap. The paper will also investigate possible causes of the gender wage gap. In closing, the author will provide possible predictions for the future. US Male vs. Female Pay Differences: Has the Wage Gap Narrowed and Why? In the United States, there is still controversy about male vs....

Words: 4066 - Pages: 17

Free Essay

Gender Pay Gap

...65-82 ISSN 2152-1034 Gender Compensation Discrimination: An Exploration of Gender Compensation Gap and the Higher Education Connection Judith E. Grey-Bowen, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Donovan A. McFarlane, The Donovan Society LLC and Frederick Taylor University Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine the gender gap and the potential factors that contribute to income inequality. Since the passing of the equal pay act, the median weekly earnings of women is still just seventy eight cents on each dollar that men earn (Center for American Progress, 2010). To put this in context, the pay gap in 1970 was sixty two cents and in 1992 it was seventy five cents (Institute for Women’s Research, 1993). Undervaluation of women’s work, occupational gender segregation, and discriminatory treatment in the workplace continue to hamper efforts to reduce the gender pay gap. A pay check is women’s and men’s most important source of income. Therefore, it is surprising, discriminatory and unfair to know that after both genders have worked satisfactorily on the same job; they do not receive the same pay. The gender pay gap is the best way to measure pay inequality between men and women. The authors discuss Gender Compensation Discrimination and examine the historical trends in pay difference, the various causes and the methods and paths considered for closing the Gender Compensation Gap. Key words: Gender Compensation Discrimination, Gender Compensation Gap, Equality, Rights and...

Words: 9335 - Pages: 38

Free Essay

Women's Quota in Norway a Good Pioneer for Germany?

...WOMEN’S QUOTA IN NORWAY - A GOOD PIONEER FOR GERMANY? | Table of Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. Definition Women’s/ Gender Quota 3 3. Gender quota in Norway 4 3.1 The road to the quota 4 3.2 Impacts and Changes 5 4. Gender pay gap in Germany 7 4.1 Causes for the Gender pay gap 7 4.2 gender quota in germany 8 5.Conclusion 9 List of Literature 9 Books/magazines 9 Internet Sources 10 Illustrations 10 1. Introduction The situation for women in every kind of different sectors has changed over the last centuries and decades. Nevertheless the result of an UNO- analysis in the mid 1990’s states that women have not the same chances as men in any society in the world even though that there has been made a huge progress. As Paragraph 1 of Article 3 of the German Basic Law declares, “All persons shall be equal before the law.“ In addition Paragraph 2 of the same article states, “Men and women shall have equal rights. The state shall 
promote the actual implementation of equal rights for women and men and take steps to eliminate disadvantages that now exist.“ In contrast to this Article of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) describes that after a study made in 2012 Germany has one of the biggest wage gap between men and women among all countries in Europe. The study says as well that there are fewer women in management positions. This arouses the question “What are the...

Words: 2899 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Discrimination Against Women

...major form of discrimination against women happens at work. Women have been paid less than men for forever now. Men have been given more occupational opportunities than women have. Discrimination in the workforce is an extremely horrible setback in our society. Men are payed 20% more money than women for doing the exact same jobs. The pay gap varies for each state, some more, some less. The pay gap also varies for different racial groups such as minority women. The article “The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap: AAUW” tells the truth about how Women are, and have been paid less than men for the same jobs. In this article it says, “Did you know that in 2016, women working full time in the United States typically were paid just 80 percent...

Words: 704 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Epq Project

...'Despite gender equality on the rise, are men and women equal in the workplace?' Introduction “The human race is a bird and it needs both its wings to be able to fly. And, at the moment, one of its wings is clipped we’re never going to be able to fly as high.” Although the number of sex discrimination claims have dropped by 41% from 18,300 in 2010/11 to 10,800 in 2011/12, it continues to be the most frequent type of discrimination claim received by tribunals. Gender equality is a known problem within the UK as organisations and the UK as a whole do not view men and women with equal value and therefore have unequal treatment. Whilst employers should enforce policies that are designed to prevent sex discrimination in recruitment and selection, pay, training, promotions, discipline and grievances, this is not always the case. Although women within work is on the rise as in 2013 the female employment rate reached 67.2, which is the highest it has ever been since Office for National Statistics’ records began, the median weekly earnings for women fell from £413 to £411. This means the gender pay gap has now risen from £89 to £97 pounds a week as weekly earnings for men rose from £502 to £508. With this in mind, I am proposing to argue the fact that women are still not treated equally to men within organisations in the UK based on my three chosen chapters that are ‘The History of Women and their Rights’, ‘Gender Equality Governmental Laws and Gender Pay’ and ‘Influential Women’...

Words: 5372 - Pages: 22

Free Essay

Women and Globalization

...Globalization & Women Komal (4789) Ruchi (4875) Lavanya (4642) WHAT IS GLOBALIZATION? It is the process of creating languages, services, and products that apply not just to an individual neighbourhood or city or country, but to the whole world. While one interpretation of globalization has to do with equal exchange and sharing of goods and services between countries and cultures, the reality of a globalized world is much different. Globalization is a phenomenon that crosses and erases geographical and political borders and makes all countries start to look the same. As a result of globalization, local products, services, and cultures disappear into a global culture, a culture defined not by the global citizenry but rather the world's economic and political superpowers - mostly North America-owned corporations. How does economic globalization work? Economic globalization is fueled by international trade agreements signed between nations. The goal of these agreements is to get rid of barriers to trade by allowing companies to move their factories to countries with the lowest labour and environmental standards, countries where they can produce their products the cheapest...

Words: 3698 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Empowering Women in Business - the Glass Ceiling

...Over the last 30-40, it has become accepted wisdom that enhancing the position of females is one of the most crucial levers of global development. When females are skilled and can earn their living and control their profits, many positive results follow: infant mortality rate reduces, child health and nutrition enhance, agricultural productivity increases, economies successfully evolve, and cycles of scarcity are broken (Coleman 13). However, the challenges are still strikingly large. In the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, particularly, persistent gender gaps keep females from being really productive members of society (Coleman 13). Entrenched sex prejudice remains a leading feature of life for the majority of the world’s bottom two billion people, helping sustain the gulf between the most deprived and everyone else on the planet (Coleman 13). Narrowing that gulf requires the involvement of the international major organizations. Not simply does the global private sector have more money than some governments organizations, but it can use crucial leverage with its popular labels and by expanding promises of investment and employment. Some organizations already promote initiatives focused on women as part of their corporate programs (Coleman 13). But the really transformative shift - for global businesses and for females internationally – will happen when the organizations recognize that empowering women positively influences their bottom lines (Coleman 13). The...

Words: 2659 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Sexism in the Video Game Industry

...are contributing a large amount of profits (ESA). Despite their significant purchasing power, they are not represented equally as characters in games, and continue to be used as a plot device or sexual being to attract the male target audience. Neither are they allowed to be a compelling character with a story arc and personal growth as we see with the male protagonist. Female characters, when included, tend to be one dimensional and only valued for typically how they fit into traditional gender roles by being submissive and innocent. This narrow portrayal of women comes from the fact that the developers of video games are predominantly men. Only 11% of game designers are women and only 3% of programmers, even though it is one of the fastest growing and most profitable fields in the economic market today (Sydell). This small portion of women in the video game workforce also earns significantly less than their male counter-parts- typically around $12,000 a year less, making their gender-pay gap worse than the national average (Sydell). This inequality stems from a larger societal problem of women not being...

Words: 4263 - Pages: 18

Free Essay

Child Labor

...Child Labor: Stymieing a Global Pandemic Axia College Ericka Boice, Cherie Brown, and LaKeisha Wilkerson August 30, 2010 Child labor is a serious moral issue that illegally employs children below the age of 15, which means that one is not under the sole responsibility of parents or illegal guardians. Child labor has been an invasive problem throughout the global economy for a very long time. It first appeared with the development of domestic systems and this problem exists mostly in foreign and developing countries such as Mexico, Asia, India, and Africa. There is an estimated 250 million child workers, between ages 5 to 14. Some are working fulltime and some part-time. Child Labor has been one of the biggest issues around the world because it puts children in unfavorable danger. The awareness that globalization is leading towards child exploitation is a very serious matter for international businesses. This kind of labor is damaging and negative towards the health of children. You can very well say a child’s life in this matter is diminishing towards their future because it is impossible for children to receive enrichment towards an education or enjoy a proper childhood. Child Labor affects the global community because for one it is not an easy issue to resolve and it has been going on for a very long time in so many countries. It is found many issues involving child labor deals with children who are working because their families are very poor. The parent...

Words: 1527 - Pages: 7