The Invisible Gender Wage Gap
Title: The Invisible Wage Gap between Men and Women
Introduction
Is it true that women get payed less than men? In general, if men and women do the exact same job will the men get paid more money? For centuries, women have argued that they make a significantly lower amount of money than men even though they are equally qualified to do the same kind of work. However, maybe the professions that are predominantly male dominated tend to pay more than jobs predominantly occupied by females. As the economy is developing and constantly changing, the demand for certain careers fluctuates accordingly. During the 21st century technology has progressed and jobs that were in demand 50 years ago are no longer needed. For example, in the 1950s a common job for a woman was to be a secretary, a school teacher, or a nurse; however as time has passed women now become doctors, lawyers, engineers, and entrepreneurs to keep up with forever changing economy. Sadly, even with the influx of more and more women in these job fields men statistically are paid higher than women for identical work.
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In today’s economy, common jobs that are held by women according to statista include registered nurses($1035 weekly), retail salesperson($443 weekly), and a waitress($363 weekly). Common jobs held by men according to statista include electricians($951 weekly),business manager($1542 weekly), and software developer ($1863 weekly). “Even feminist economists acknowledge that today’s pay disparities are almost entirely the result of women’s different life choices—what they study in school, where they work, and how they balance home and career” ( Sommers). In other words, although it may seem like women are discriminated against in the workforce, there are valid contributing factors to consider. “Ekins acknowledges that a small gender pay gap exists, but she credits this imbalance to differences in the way men and women approach their careers. Because of these differences, the author concludes, men end up devoting more time and energy to their jobs and, as a result, deserve their higher salaries” (Elkins). In this quote, Elkins is emphasizing the fact that men are generally the main providers for their families so they tend to earn more money than women. If extensive research were done, the “imaginary wage gap” could potentially close and therefore benefit the economy as a whole. The Invisible Gender Wage Gap
Literature Review
The proposed study considers the impact on many factors that may affect how much women are paid for various career paths compared to men. First, the key elements of this research will be defined. Then, the research on a random sample of men consisting of their career path and average salary will be discussed; the same procedure will be done for the women. After both samples have been conducted, the factors contributing to the men’s salaries will be compared to the women’s. Lastly, after the research is concluded possible solutions to close the “imaginary wage gap” will be discussed.
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Research Design
In order to conduct research of both men and women throughout the United States I would first start by randomly selecting 15 states. The 15 states will be representative of the entire U.S. Next, within these 15 states I would contact multiple engineering firms, law firms, and other professional establishments to randomly survey employees about their financial status(yearly salary) and education/contributing factors. Depending on the response, participants will receive anywhere from $100-$500. The money should serve as an incentive for the participants to give accurate and detailed information regarding their lifestyle. After all the research on the participants has been finished, I will compare men and women with similar occupations and find any factors that contribute to the pay difference other than a gender difference.
Works Cited
Ekins, Emily. “The Gender Pay Gap Is Mostly a Myth.” Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2018. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/SAAFBO289234643/OVIC?u=j015910&xid=b0a2272b. Accessed 21 Mar. 2018. Originally published as “Equal Pay Day: Surprising gender pay gap opinions held by women,” Washington Examiner, 3 Apr. 2017.
Sommers, Christina Hoff. “The Equal Pay Day Reality Check.” Gender Roles, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010908220/OVIC?u=j015910&xid=29a9afd1. Accessed 2 Mar. 2018. Originally published in www.american.com, 20 Apr. 2010.
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