Still Think the Pay Gap Doesn't Exist?

This short essay is about the reality of the gender pay gap in 2017 and the reasons why the pay gap still exists today.

Still Think the Pay Gap isn’t Real?

By: Sam Melillo

For years now, I feel like the only thing I’ve been hearing from people is , “There’s no such thing as a pay gap” or, “Women get paid just the same as men do”. And you know what they say; if you hear something enough times, you begin to believe it. As I was starting to grow more skeptical in thinking that the pay gap between men and women was beginning to fade out, I decided to do some research of my own and find the facts. 

As of 2016, women earned 82 cents for every dollar a man made (Vasel, 2017).  While women should be earning the same amount of money as men for doing the same job, this pay gap is a slight improvement from 2015, when women were earning about 79.6 cents for every dollar a man earned. Even though earning 18 cents less than men may not seem like that big of a difference, it really adds up in the end. This difference will cause women to lose about 10,470 dollars each year. These pay differences are even more detrimental to women of color. Black women will, on average, earn 63 cents for every dollar a white man makes, while Asian women earn 85 cents for every dollar a man makes. 

I know what you’re thinking. It’s 2017, how can income inequality between genders and races still possibly exist? The answer is quite simple. Society states that women are expected stay home and raise children. In fact, these gender norms are so prevalent that women are often shamed if they choose to go against these traditional societal standards. These gender stereotypes have been in place since as early as the Victorian Era (Wrenn, 2017). But as times began changing, women became eager to work and soon entered the workforce. In addition to working “real” jobs, women were and still are expected to simultaneously take on the job of being a mother and a housewife. Because of these expectations, many women are often funneled into working part-time, low-wage, or ‘dead-end’ jobs, that typically do not pay very much. These family obligations also cause some women to be forced not to accept promotions or raises in their field, causing them to miss out on vital opportunities to earn the same amount, if not more than their male colleagues. This is because with higher power comes greater responsibility, and the increase of responsibilities at work could interfere with a woman’s responsibilities at home.

These factors, among others, are significant contributors as to why women are still earning less than men. The stigma that men are expected to be the bread winners of the family, while women are expected to stay home with the children, are the reasons why women are still earning less then men. Nothing about the pay gap will change, unless society is willing to change too. 

Sources

Vasel, K. (2017). 5 Things to Know about the Gender Pay Gap. Retrieved from

money.cnn.com/2017/04/04/pf/equal-pay-day-gender-pay-gap/index.html. 

Wrenn, C. (2017). Work: Explaining Work Inequality and Changes to the Economy. 

Author's Note

What are your reactions to this essay? Were you aware of how society contributes to the Pay Gap?

Reviews

[Ariane]

Very well written and informative article. I was not aware that such a large pay gap still existed. Hopefully soon, with the gender equality movement, the pay gap will be a thing of the past.

[Anthony]

This is a very well thought out article. Gender pay gap is not a myth. It is very real. What people don't realize is that women need to close the pay gap because it will significantly change their retirement.

[Dawn]

I Find this article to be very well represented. The writer expressed themselves with clarity based off of both opinion and research . I enjoyed reading this piece.

[Donna]

Very interesting. I had no idea there was that much of a pay gap.

[maddy]

Wow! Interesting facts! I didn't know that the pay gap was that significant and it's interesting to know how much gender stereotypes are a contributing factor towards this.