Equal Pay Research Paper

According to statistics, there are disparities with pay in the workplace. Men are paid more in wages, comprehensive packages, and benefits than women who performed the same job responsibilities and roles in the workplace. The big question is why are women being unvalued? Since, this is a common practice in the workplace, is this fair to both genders and is this the most favorable outcome for the greatest number affected by this business practice? The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was passed to eliminate this type of discrimination based on sex with paying wages to employees, in such establishment at a rate less than the rate at which pays, wages to employees of the opposite sex for equal work on jobs the performance of which requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working conditions.

Gender equality is something that has been a problem through the ages. Susan B. Anthony and many others fought for the right to vote which was granted in 1920. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law stating that no employer can discriminate based on gender. The American Association of University Women published a graph on Women’s Median Annual Earnings as a Percentage of Men’s Median Annual Earnings for Full-time, Year-round Workers, 1974-2014 and it shows that in 1974, women were paid 59% of what men were paid. The graph shows the improvements over the years and that in 2014, women were paid 79% of what men were paid. The gap has not budged since 2014. The gender pay gap has improved over the years, but it will not close until new legislation passes.

The gender pay gap in the United States forms a slightly mixed feeling. On one hand, after years of opposition to the earnings of women compared to men. There has been a large increase in women's earnings since the 1970s. The gender pay gap in the United States is measured through the female to male average yearly earnings for a full-time, year-round worker. Previously, a woman earned 77 cents for every dollar that a male gets. Since 1980, the gap has narrowed by 16.8 cents, improving from 60.2 cents to 77 cents, as stated by the Institute for Women’s Policy. The current pay gap between female and male is 82 cent for every one dollar. This growth is significant because it opposes the relative stability of the earlier incomes of a woman in the

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed into effect a landmark legislation that would guarantee equal pay to both men and women working under the same employer. However, to this present day, women still only make, on average, 77 cents to every dollar that a male earns. This paper focuses on some of the underlying problems as to why there is still such a large gender pay discrimination over half a century later. More specifically, some of the policies maybe could be put in place and the positive impact(s) each policy could have on women in the work place. Lastly, we will look at some of the laws that have been in place, and how effective or ineffective they have been.

The gender wage gap in the U.S. has been a topic of debate in politics through most of the 21st century. In 2015, women were paid 80 percent of what men were paid (SIMPLE TRUTH). This number is considerably smaller than that of the 1960’s because of women’s progress in education and participation in the workforce (SIMPLE TRUTH). The wage gap can have adverse lifelong effects on a woman’s life. Because women are paid less than men, a woman will receive less social security, pensions, and other resources when they retire than a man would (Fischer & Hayes, 2013). There is a common stigma that women do not get paid as much as men because they do not ask for higher wages but not everything can be “explained

The gender wage gap is where men get paid more than women for doing the same job. The gender wage gap has been around since 1960, when women began working full time jobs outside the home. When the wage gap between women and men first became apparent, the issue primarily centered around discrimination against women as the “weaker sex”, a social stereotype. Today the issue has become more complex, involving American cultural norms and politics, and concerns that there are glass ceilings within businesses for women. As a result, many people are indecisive when it comes to taking a position on the matter while others are adamantly entrenched in their mind set. The fact of the matter is that women’s wages should match men’s wages whenever performance of duty is equal. The issue is that there should be equal pay for equal work. Wages should be based on education, experience, exposure, and location in that career field.

Throughout history, discrimination of all forms has been a constant issue. These forms of discrimination include race, gender, religion, beliefs, appearance or anything else that make a person different from the next person. One major discrimination issue that is constantly being dealt with in the world takes place in the work place, equal pay. Women, who work equally hard and are equally trained and qualified as men, are not paid equally to men. This has been an ongoing problem for decades. Studies have proven that African-American women and Latina women make less than 64 cents to every dollar of their male counterparts. The Equal Pay Act of 1963, which became a law in 1963, requires that men and women who do the same job in the same organization should receive the same pay. Many exceptions to the Equal Pay Act have been made though. Some of these exceptions include having seniority, having greater a quality or quantity of production, different factors such as paying extra compensation to overnight workers or less compensation to part-time and temporary workers, and having a better or different job.

Now a day we hear a lot about the wage gap between men and women. President of The United States, in the state of the Union, stated that “Women earn much less than men for doing the same amount of the work”. Based on some statistic survey women makes seventy-seven cents on the dollar. The pay gap means women loses about $10,000 in median earning a year [4], if you consider career long-view the gap obstructs wealth building. This is one major concern in today's competitive world, in 2014 Republican National Committee argued that “The difference isn’t because of their genders; it’s because of their jobs.” Where research shows that gender wage gap is real and still exist The question that arises is why there is a wage gap between men and women? The answer to that question is women are more likely to take a break from their careers to take care of their family. This kind of disruption can have an impact on long-term earning.

“They” say, “We’ve come a long way baby!” “They” are both correct and incorrect at the same time. While it is true that women have come a long way from June Cleaver and the typical 50’s housewife to the modern two parent working household, statistically, it would take women approximately one extra day of work per week to earn the same as their male counterpart. So, while women have begun to work in higher paying professional and managerial jobs that before were typically held by men; they are paid less. This is gender discrimination and is commonly known as the Gender Wage Gap. There are many arguments as to why there is a wage gap between men and women; there are those who argue that women are taking lower-paying jobs, so they can attend to the needs of their families. Others argue that women are purposely choosing fields that pay less. One thing is clear, though: a gender wage gap exists, and if steps are not taken to remedy this situation, women may never see equal pay for equal work.

Occupational pay based on gender is an issue that has been around since the early 1900s. Women have always been discriminated against by men, which is proven by history dating back to the Civil Rights Movement. Gender inequality with the significant wage gap for men and women is longstanding and has been acknowledged by researchers. The wage gap that is present in the United States has aroused many Americans, and even kindled several protests. The issue, occupational pay based on gender, dates back to Women’s Rights of 1848.

Furthermore, they found another one third was attributed to women’s choices of occupation, industry and union status. Leaving a balance of 12% unexplained. In conclusion the wage gap may be lessening, but it is still thriving in the American workplace (Advisers, 1998). Research suggests the most important reasons supporting the elimination of wage discrimination toward women are; it would help the government out of its fiscal crisis, give a boost to the economy and bring about decreased resentment among co-workers resulting in positive change with in corporate America. The benefits for eradicating the gender wage gap are so extreme that it is baffling why so little is being done to address this issue. The government is in economic crisis. Assistance programs in place to help those in need are strained beyond their budgets, begging for help where ever they can get it, and the need is growing. Women using the assistance want to stand on their own, but without equal pay, the task is unreachable. Federal and State governments are feeling the pinch from the lack of tax revenue. An equalization of pay would bring about an increase of taxes. Families and single women would have more income to balance their budgets and save for retirement. The Social Security Administration would have the funds necessary to continue supplementing the senior community.

Bias, prejudice, and discrimination are issues that are still prevalent in the world today. These issues can include: gender, race, ethnicity, or even religion. A common dilemma that the nation faces today is gender discrimination in the workplace. Women who possess the same level of competence and aptitude as men are still getting paid less in the same careers. Studies show that, “Women are paid 79 cents for every dollar paid to men” (Goldin). How can this inequality be solved? It can be easily resolved by paying men and women in the same careers equal wages.

Although, the most successful cases are when women claim to being unequally paid compared to a male worker who previously did the same job (England 920). This has been a rare outcome though. Just as women struggled with equality in the beginning, they still struggle today.

Although The Equal Pay Act of 1963 states that there shall not be any discrimination on an employees pay wages based off of their sex, we still see a major pay gap in today’s society. As of 2013, women only earn 78.3 cents for every dollar that a man makes (pay-equity). Although the gap of about 22 cents could be a result of gender discrimination, there could be other factors that are causing this gap. Every since 1963, when women earned only 59 cents per every dollar a man

Gender discrimination can cover a wide variety of social prejudice. Throughout much of world history, even American history women have been treated as second class citizens. In the United States women have had to fight for rights such as the right to vote, or own land. These are just a few examples of the many injustices that women have had to face. Men have held the position of leadership, and power throughout history when it comes to almost everything. Men would even decide to whom a women would get married to among a whole host of other things. Gender Discrimination in the workplace is one of the more recent problems that United State citizens have had to face. Despite the input of laws such as the equal pay act of 1963 this