Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
29 November 2016
Mr. Gunsher
Vice President Joe Biden once said “Equal pay for equal work. It’s common sense. It’s also
overdue. Let’s close the gap and let’s do it now.” (@VP). Women are steadily earning lower salaries than
men when attaining the same occupations with similar credentials, violating the idea of equality and equal
rights. Years after the women’s rights movement, there is still inequality in pay between the genders.
From CEOs to top soccer players, women are receiving a reduced paycheck because of the lack of a Y
chromosome. Kevin Miller, researcher for Women’s Policy Research, says women make on average 80%
of males’ salary. The pay gap is not supposed to close until 2059 because there is not a consensus on how
to fix the discrepancy (Miller). Many citizens are fighting for balanced wage and fair rights, because
Women are disfavored and considered inferior even when their credentials are identical, because
of the biology of being female. Barbara Wagner, chief economist with a masters in economics, cited a
study that shows these prejudices. Employers received identical copies of resumes, the only difference
being half had a female name while the other half had a male name. They found that males were more
likely to be offered jobs, and their pay was 7-15% higher, if females were even offered the job (Wagner).
These employers give males higher offers, no matter abilities. Similar study done by D.M. Neumark used
identical male and female resumes for a job at a high-class restaurant. Females had a 40% lower chance
of getting an interview than men, and 50% lower for a job offer (Blau). No matter the job level, there’s
The gap is also seen in more specialized jobs. Evan Davis, freelance journalist for sports, found
that the US soccer teams have one of the most extreme gaps. The men’s team makes $7,500-$14,000 per
win, $5,000-6,500 for ties, and $4,000 per loss. The women’s team makes $1,350 per win, but nothing for
a tie or loss. Also, only the men’s team gains money for each point scored in the World Cup.
Additionally, the men’s team only made it to round 16, earning $9 million. The US women’s team won
the entire FIFA World Cup, making $2 million (Davis). The same amount of time and effort put in as a
soccer player, and even when women came out superior, the Y chromosome is dominant and rewarded
higher.
This pay discrepancy is not solely impacted by gender, but also state, ethnicity, and age. Kevin
Miller found that the average 80% is nationwide. The American Community Survey found that each state
has its own average earnings ratio, with 23 states (including DC) above this average with New York the
highest at 89%, while the rest are below average with Wyoming at the lowest of 64%. The earning ratio
has also been found to decrease with age. Until the age of 35, women make 90% of male’s earnings. Once
they hit 35, the percent drops to 76-81%. There is even a gap between women, The largest gap being
Hispanic/Latina women, making 54% of white male wages, while Asian women make 85% (Miller). This
shows that the wage discrepancy is not only violating equal rights because of gender, but also has a hint
When companies create salaries, they have the ability to make pay secrecy, allowing women to avoid
perceptions of the unequal gap. Marlene Kim, professor of economics with a PhD, cited a study showing
that males earn on average $28.32/hour while females earn around $21.97/hour (Kim). Maura Belliveau,
professor at LIU Brooklyn, found that companies with higher discretion over pay showed higher wage
gaps. Her study showed that managers believe that women employees care more about their families than
tangible outcomes, even when they have no evidence of this. These managers are rationalizing the gap by
unbacked beliefs. Belliveau found that a social account, a justification for lower pay based on limited
quantity a company has for pay, is commonly used to rationalize the gap. When managers were allowed a
social account, men made 71% of the earnings available while females earned 29% (Belliveau). This
shows that when the excuse of a social account is allowed, managers believe their inequality is
rationalized, so the gender pay gap increases more, paying women less.
The gender wage gap violates equal rights of a human being. The Fourteenth Amendment says
that “...Nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor
deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” (U.S. Constitution) Giving
women unequal pay is abridging the equality, and privileges because of the biology of being a women.
The equality quoted at the end of the amendment is not present when males are placed above females
economically. Also, they are substantially depriving these women of the equality of life, by using small
discrimination that puts a limit on their capabilities to move forward. From a historic perspective, the
issue of inequality for women has been present and tried to be solved for years, especially since the
1970s. According to Eric Wohlenberg, professor at the University of Indiana, The Equal Rights
Amendment states that “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United
States or by any state on account of sex”. 35 of the needed 38 states ratified the amendment as of 1971,
making it unsuccessful as of then (Wohlenberg). The gender wage gap falls under this amendment, the
only issue being that since it has not been ratified, companies can not be tried against it yet.
In opposition, social psychologists say that gender pay gap is caused by women’s internal
attributions, like characteristics, traits, etc. According to Michelle Travis, Co-Director of the University of
San Francisco Labor Law Program, books have been written for this, like Women Don’t Ask. It explains
how it is a woman’s fault for receiving lower pay, because they “don’t ask” for higher, and it lays out the
things women are doing wrong that cause lower pay. These books act as “treatment plans” for these
women who are receiving this lower pay (Travis). They see the pay gap as self advocacy that is their
responsibility. However, Travis mentions Sheryl Sandberg, who believes in the self-advocacy, but she
opposes this claim by pointing out how female gender norms say that women are supposed to care for
others, not themselves. When they do advocate for themselves, their employers, whether male or female,
react disapprovingly. Hannah Bowles’ study found that people oppose working with women who have
tried for higher pay because they are perceived as difficult and bothersome when of their act of self-
advocacy. When women do try for higher salaries, they receive opposite reactions than men (Travis). This
education, meaning they should not get paid equally. According to Francine Blau, Professor of
Economics and Industrial and Labor Relations, even though there were more women who graduated high
school, less were likely to finish or go to college. Although this was once true, this is proven irrelevant
now because women are over half of college students and a large portion of “male” professions. It is
proven that educational attainment lowers the gap by 7%, working opposite of expected because women
A solution to the pay discrepancy could be pay transparency, as women will know how large the
difference is between their male co-workers and their own paychecks. When transparency is present,
women are aware and have the ability to fight for the same pay as male counterparts. Marlene Kim cited a
study that found when pay secrecy is banned, males earn $30.15/hour while females earn $24.20/hour,
bringing the ratio from 77% to 80% (Kim), showing that pay transparency could be very significant.
According to Barbara Wagner, if transparent determinations are given before a job is given, females will
have more power to negotiate salaries. If males and females are holding the same jobs, pay should be
determined by quantitative, criteria like years of experience and education (Wagner). Having a concrete
salary set before giving jobs makes it easier to close the gap. Manager perceptions should be eliminated in
Re-introducing the Equal Rights Amendment, could help guarantee equality between genders,
helping to diminish the pay discrepancy. States containing a simplified ERA in their state constitutions,
have a lower wage gap than other states, according to Ernest Wohlenberg. Florida, who has a simplified
ERA, has one of the highest earning ratio at 87%, 17% higher than average (Wohlenberg). The previous
failure of the ERA was based on religious reasons like past societal gender roles, but now these concepts
In conclusion, females earn less than males because of employer’s unbacked beliefs and personal
prejudices, infringing on women’s equal rights given in the constitution. Even with equal education and
experience that some argue women do not have, women earn a significantly lower amount than deserved.
The wage gap will not shrink without direct force, making the ERA one that should be reconsidered for
Belliveau, Maura. “TEDxEmory - Maura Belliveau - A new explanation for the wage gap between men and women.”
Youtube, uploaded by TEDx Talks, 16 August 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIo-XjNRfAM
Blau, Francine D., and Lawrence M. Kahn. "The Gender Pay Gap: Have Women Gone As Far As They Can?."
Academy Of Management Perspectives 21.1 (2007): 7-23.Business Source Complete. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
Davis, Evan. “Women Earn The Glory While Men Earn The Money in U.S. Soccer” FiveThirtyEight. 31 Mar 2016. 17
Nov 2016.
Janssen, Simon, Simone Tuor Sartore, and Uschi Backes-Gellner. "Discriminatory Social Attitudes And Varying
Gender Pay Gaps Within Firms." ILR Review 69.1 (2016): 253-279.Business Source Complete. Web. 16
Nov. 2016.
Kim, Marlene. "Pay Secrecy And The Gender Wage Gap In The United States." Industrial Relations 54.4 (2015):
648-667. Business Source Complete. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.
Miller, Kevin. "The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap (Fall 2016)." AAUW: Empowering Women Since 1881.
AAUW, 15 Sept. 2016. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
Travis, Michelle A. "Disabling The Gender Pay Gap: Lessons From The Social Model Of Disability." Denver
University Law Review 91.4 (2014): 893-923. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
Wagner, Barbara. "The Complex Causes Of The Gender Pay Gap." Montana Business Quarterly 53.3 (2015):
16-18. Small Business Reference Center. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
Wohlenberg, Ernest H. "Correlates Of Equal Rights Amendment Ratification." Social Science Quarterly (University
Of Texas Press) 60.4 (1980): 676-684. Business Source Complete. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
@VP. “Equal pay for equal work. It's common sense. It's also overdue. Let's close the gap & let's do it now.
#EqualPayDay.” Twitter, 14 Apr. 2015, 12:56 p.m.,
https://mobile.twitter.com/VP/status/588022956812533760/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw