Summary: Is There A Gender Wage Gap

Is There a Gender Wage Gap

Women make less than men in the work place even though they have the same education and experience. Even with the enactment of The Equal Pay Act in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy gender based equality has not been eliminated. Since 1963 the gap has become smaller but according to Kassenboehmer & Sinning (2014) there is still an approximately a 7% gap between men and women. Women continue to be on the low end in regards to their income. This needs to stop and both men and women need to be paid the same for the same work. Women have taken so many steps over the years to make themselves more marketable in the work place. Many have gone to college than ever before. Studies show that between 1995-2008 that the number
of women that have gone to college has increased from 27.9% to 33.3%. The study also shows that the amount of women that went to college with or without earning a degrees was higher than that of male workers. ( Kassenboehmer & Sinning. P.340). so with this being said women and men should make the same amount of money If they have the same education why would men be able to make so much more. I do believe that this shows why it has decreased over the years, but it should not be at all. In today age many women still have made the decision to put motherhood first above their career and put their families first.
Men today still are the main bread winners in many homes. Because of this women are considered less of a worker than men. In a study that Joya Mirsa and Eiko Strader did their research found that it was a common misconception that women who have children do not have the same work productivity as those men that have children. Mirsa & Strader, (2013). This study also looked at the difference between both childless men and women. In this situation they both made the same amount of income. But when comparing working mothers to working fathers, the mothers make much less. Mothers are being penalized for simply having children’s where as men are not. This article even goes into detail about the effects of maternity and leave and the effects of daycare. This study was conducted in all Advance countries not only the US so this is a global issues. The gender wag gap has more of an impact than most could imagine. Snyder and McLaughlin (2004) showed what impact the difference in pay has for female-headed families and the poverty in America. They speak of, “Higher income and earnings of men compared to women, women’s early investments in family and childbearing, child care and availability, and the dual-earner potential of married couple families are factors that help explain higher poverty among female headed families. So the gender wage gap affects society as
a whole. Most would think that as more women join the work force the wage gap would continue to decreases, but this is far from the truth.
Johannes Ludsteck (2014) found in her study that the more women that enter a profession that their wages decrease, but as more women join the work forces men’s wages don’t change or increase. According to this study it shows that the gender wag gape is not simply because women entered the work force but because of the way men and employers view women workers. Men tend to “tolerate” women and are not willing to look at them as their peer. Men have the idea that they are the more dominate sex and there for they work harder so they should be paid better. Most would say, that is men, that gender wage gap is nonexistent, but women in the work force no this is not the case. When a person is paid based on performance there is hardly any wage gap. So if a person is being paid for each piece you put together they make the same amount whether they are male or female. Manning & Saidi (2010). This simply shows that if a person is paid based on performance that they are paid the same. That is if you have a tangle able way to measure
production. Finally, most would agree that while gender wage gap does still exist in some degree that over the past 10 years or so that gap is getting smaller. Women’s education and the fact that it is being brought to light more helps make that gap smaller. Education is going to be what is going to make the gap nonexistent in the future. As more women receive their degrees they are able to compete for better jobs and they will have the ability to be successful. Women should have the same opportunities that men have in the work place if they have the same education and experience. A person’s gender should have no effect on how much a person is being paid. Gender wage gap is a form of discrimination and there is no way around this. When a person’s wages are being decided the only thing that should be considered is if the person is qualified to do the job. Men and women should be able to choice the career they want and they should be able to advance equally in that career regardless of their gender.