The Wage Gap Analysis
Unequal pay is something that has been an issue in America for a very long time. Gender has been one of the main culprits that played a factor in the wage gap between men and women, but race may have a role as well. The wage gap is expressed as a percentage (e.g., in 2013, women earned 78.3% as much as men aged 16 and over) and is calculated by dividing the median annual earnings for women by the median annual earnings for men. (“The Wage Gap”)
In 1942, the National War Labor Board urged employers to voluntarily equalize wage and salary rates for women to meet the wages of men. This was an attempt from President Roosevelt to close the wage gap during World War II. The Board was also reinstated to prevent labor strikes, which would slow …show more content…
Two landmark court cases served to strengthen and further define the Equal Pay Act: Schultz v. Wheaton Glass Co. (1970), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; Ruled that jobs need to be “substantially equal” nut not “identical” to fall under the protection of the Equal Pay Act. An employer cannot, for example, change the job titles of women workers in order to pay them less than men.; Corning Glass Works v. Brennan (1974) U.S. Supreme Court; Ruled that employers cannot justify paying women lower wages, because that is what they traditionally received under the “going market rate.” A wage differential occurring “simply because men would not work at the low rates paid women” was unacceptable. (“The Equal Pay Act”) While these things have caused the gap to narrow there is still s noticeable difference in the pay of …show more content…
Hispanic women’s salaries show the largest gap, at 54 percent of white men’s earnings. Black women’s salaries stand at 64 percent of white men’s earnings. White men are used as a benchmark, because they make up the largest demographic group in the labor force. (“AAUW”) There seems to also be a trend in how that gap widens as women get older. Studies have shown that women about 90 percent of what men are paid until they hit 35. After that the earnings are typically 75-80 percent of what men are paid. In recent years there has not been significant improvements across racial and ethnic groups. In 2014, the ratio of women’s to mend’s median weekly full-time earnings was 82.5 percent, an increase of just 0.4 percentage points, since 2013, when the ratio was 82.1 percent. (The Gender Wage Gap: 2014; Earnings Differences by Race and Ethnicity)
Research has shown is that occupation plays a vast role in the wage gap. There are jobs that are considered to be predominately occupied by women and some that are predominately worked by men, which of course is how some employees try to justify the difference in wages. The occupation with the widest gap in earnings is “personal financial advisers,’ with a gender earnings ratio of just 61.3 percent. (The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation 2014 and by Race and
In 1942, the National War Labor Board urged employers to voluntarily equalize wage and salary rates for women to meet the wages of men. This was an attempt from President Roosevelt to close the wage gap during World War II. The Board was also reinstated to prevent labor strikes, which would slow …show more content…
Two landmark court cases served to strengthen and further define the Equal Pay Act: Schultz v. Wheaton Glass Co. (1970), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; Ruled that jobs need to be “substantially equal” nut not “identical” to fall under the protection of the Equal Pay Act. An employer cannot, for example, change the job titles of women workers in order to pay them less than men.; Corning Glass Works v. Brennan (1974) U.S. Supreme Court; Ruled that employers cannot justify paying women lower wages, because that is what they traditionally received under the “going market rate.” A wage differential occurring “simply because men would not work at the low rates paid women” was unacceptable. (“The Equal Pay Act”) While these things have caused the gap to narrow there is still s noticeable difference in the pay of …show more content…
Hispanic women’s salaries show the largest gap, at 54 percent of white men’s earnings. Black women’s salaries stand at 64 percent of white men’s earnings. White men are used as a benchmark, because they make up the largest demographic group in the labor force. (“AAUW”) There seems to also be a trend in how that gap widens as women get older. Studies have shown that women about 90 percent of what men are paid until they hit 35. After that the earnings are typically 75-80 percent of what men are paid. In recent years there has not been significant improvements across racial and ethnic groups. In 2014, the ratio of women’s to mend’s median weekly full-time earnings was 82.5 percent, an increase of just 0.4 percentage points, since 2013, when the ratio was 82.1 percent. (The Gender Wage Gap: 2014; Earnings Differences by Race and Ethnicity)
Research has shown is that occupation plays a vast role in the wage gap. There are jobs that are considered to be predominately occupied by women and some that are predominately worked by men, which of course is how some employees try to justify the difference in wages. The occupation with the widest gap in earnings is “personal financial advisers,’ with a gender earnings ratio of just 61.3 percent. (The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation 2014 and by Race and