The Gender Wage Gap

Throughout history, men have tended to provide for the family, while women took care of the family and household. This stereotype is so deeply ingrained in traditional gender roles that people still believe it. The gender wage gap is the average difference between the pay between men and women. Women get paid less because of society's stereotypical gender roles; men are the provider for the family and women are the caretakers for the family. Society needs to come to the realization that since the binary genders are equal, have the same capabilities, their pay should be equal. A statistic shown by researchers is that women earn seventy-nine cents for every dollar a man makes. This does not seem like a huge difference, but it adds up pretty quickly. It’s nauseating to think about how this still happens in society and that the wage gap is not ancient history.

So, why does the wage gap exist? There are many reasons, but the most significant one is bias in hiring and pay decisions. Women are repeatedly overlooked by employers who still perceive men as more successful. The traditional role for women has also deeply affected bias in hiring and pay. Throughout history, the stereotype of women staying at home to take care of their children and home has been present. This is a big rationale for why the wage gap remains still today. However, this does not apply to every family; the number of women having children is decreasing, while the number of men taking on the role of housework is increasing. Hopefully, these old stereotypes will be fazed out and these new trends normalize; this would allow more women to achieve their careers regardless of whether they have a family or not. Furthermore, an additional cause of the wage gap is bonus pay. Not only do women get overlooked by employers, but they also don't receive the same bonuses, even in situations where both genders are working the same amount of time. An Australian study found that men were receiving up to thirty-five percent more in performance bonuses than women. This signifies that the wage gap is not just a United States issue, but rather a worldwide challenge.

Understanding wage gaps can be very challenging because some professions have huge gaps while others have small ones. Some people think “Why does this even exist?! It's an easy fix,” when in reality, it is a huge problem that is hard to fix. There was research done for both genders at a business school. Nine years into business school, women had a salary of 250,000 dollars while the men's average salary was 400,000 dollars. This means men were earning sixty percent more than women, even though they were doing the same work.

Sports exemplify the wage gap significantly. Many would argue that male athletes have more skill than female athletes. But, this is a misleading and false statement. This goes back to the outdated stereotype that men are stronger, therefore being better equipped to succeed in sports. Unfortunately, we can not change everyone's mind about this stereotype, but we can keep proving those people wrong. Every sport, no matter what gender, takes the same amount of time commitment, skill, and travel time. While it is scientifically proven that men and women have physical differences, that does not mean that one doesn't work harder than the other. Male athletes in basketball, golf, football, and baseball make anywhere from fifteen percent to nearly 100 percent more than female athletes. The lack of pay and opportunity that females receive in sports is obsolete.

So how can we help make a change? Raising the minimum wage is one objective that would significantly help shrink the gender wage gap. Raising the minimum wage would provide hard-working women with the money they need, and the wage gap would decrease if jobs supported fair scheduling practices. In general, as a result of systemic inequity, BIPOC women get less pay and opportunity. Many women, especially BIPOC women, are more likely to work in low-wage jobs and therefore have unpredictable schedules. This makes it even harder for working moms because they are not as flexible with their schedules. Hence, women are not able to work as much because of the inconvenient scheduling, and raising the minimum wage would help them immeasurably. Another way the wage gap could decline is if a national paid family and medical leave insurance program was passed. This would help by providing wage replacement to working parents when they must take time off.

The gender wage gap is so much more than just a number or a statistic. It illustrates the world we live in where women and men are not equal. As a feminist, this needs immediate change. In the future, I hope we implement the idea of equal pay, a decision that will erase stereotypes and broaden opportunities for women.