Five Signs of Stalled Progress on the Gender Wage Gap 50 Years After the Equal Pay Act
BY BRYCE COVERT ON JUNE 10, 2013 AT 10:45 AM
This article encapsulates many of the issues which continue
to make “Equal Pay for Women” difficult to accomplish. Since it was recently
the 50th year anniversary of President Kennedy signing into law the
Equal Pay Act, there have been a lot of articles and studies over the last 6
months on the subject. This article talks about the fact that there is still a
discrepancy between what women earn for wages and what men earn for the same
job. It also presents some of the perceptions which continue to prevent women
from getting equal pay. Regardless of their level of education, it would appear
that a woman’s salary is always lower than a man’s and that her growth is much slower
than a man’s, especially after around the age of 30. This is because many people
in positions of power in the workplace have a perception that women will start
to make choices that will distract them from their career – having and raising
a family will become more important to them. It is thought that they will not
stay with a job as long as a man or dedicate as much time and attention to it. Statistics
have come out recently that women still earn 77% of what a man earns overall. When
the bill was signed, that statistic was thought to be 60%. It is also believed
that women that are mothers earn 5% less per hour per child than women without
children. Part of the issue with “closing the gap” more is the difficulty of knowing
how much one’s fellow workers are making. People do not talk openly about their
wages so it is difficult for women to know if they are being paid at a fair
rate.
In my opinion, this issue has lasted far too long. We have
made very slow progress in 50 years and women are still being discriminated
against in the workplace. This article mentions a law that has been voted down
several times that would make it easier for a woman to ascertain whether she is
being paid in line with her male counterparts – the “Paycheck Fairness Act”. It
is hard to believe that the wage gap continues and I believe that perhaps a law
like this is necessary in order to put a stop to this inequity. Women are not
some special interest group. Women are a majority of the US population and more
women vote than men. Lawmakers should take this into account. And I believe we
must find ways to break these old fashioned beliefs. How can a perception like
this persist for so long that a woman is not as devoted to her job as a man if
she has a family? It is obvious today that women can maintain their career and
a family just as well as a man can. Much more often than not, both parents are
working these days as well as doing their part in the home. They are both as
concerned about having a balance between work and personal life in order to be there
for their family and have a happier well-balanced life that is not all about
work. Happier people make more productive and successful workers. I believe people
should be compensated based on their contributions, plain and simple.
