Unequal Pay Thesis
An unresolved problem that I wish to investigate during my undergraduate years is the lack of equal pay for equal work in American society. In 1963, John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into effect, making it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of sex. Back then women were paid an average of 59 cents for every dollar that a man made and President Kennedy was attempting to shrink the gender wage gap. Unfortunately, his attempts for equal pay have not proven entirely successful because currently women are being paid 84 cents for every dollar and the gap is even greater for women of color. In January of this year, President Obama signed an executive order that forced companies with over 100 employees to disclose to the
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I believe that studying the background of women’s rights will be particularly helpful for me. Through that I will learn what strategies worked in the past and which did not and be able to brainstorm ways to continue the progression of women and minority rights in America. In today’s society, it is upsetting to hear about the call to repeal the 19th Amendment. As a society we have made tremendous progress towards complete equality and if this movement succeeds, it will undo everything that women in the 1920’s fought for. They battled against an extremely sexist society and suffered greatly for it and a repeal would return us back to where we started. Since women would then not be seen as equal citizens, the wage gap would most likely increase further and society would be moving backwards. With a better understanding on the issue I can intelligently support movements such as the ERA Coalition and the ERA Education Project which stress the phrase “equal means equal” so that all women and all races have equal pay. I hope that with my knowledge I will be able to educate others on the topic to they might join the movement as well. I plan to attend events on campus discussing the importance of women’s rights and connect with more supporters who will assist me in spreading the information all across
I believe that studying the background of women’s rights will be particularly helpful for me. Through that I will learn what strategies worked in the past and which did not and be able to brainstorm ways to continue the progression of women and minority rights in America. In today’s society, it is upsetting to hear about the call to repeal the 19th Amendment. As a society we have made tremendous progress towards complete equality and if this movement succeeds, it will undo everything that women in the 1920’s fought for. They battled against an extremely sexist society and suffered greatly for it and a repeal would return us back to where we started. Since women would then not be seen as equal citizens, the wage gap would most likely increase further and society would be moving backwards. With a better understanding on the issue I can intelligently support movements such as the ERA Coalition and the ERA Education Project which stress the phrase “equal means equal” so that all women and all races have equal pay. I hope that with my knowledge I will be able to educate others on the topic to they might join the movement as well. I plan to attend events on campus discussing the importance of women’s rights and connect with more supporters who will assist me in spreading the information all across