Gender wage gap in marketing has been an augmenting problem for many decades. In most cases, the disparities in pay based on gender are attributed to a number of socioeconomic/equity issues, which have been investigated since 1960s, however; little focus has been devoted to marketing when it comes to earning gaps. What is gender wage gap? In layman’s language, it basically refers to the variances in typical hourly remunerations between female and male workers. Nonetheless, it is vital to understand that causes of the income differences between men and women in marketing while focusing on differences in business experience, education level, societal norms, corporate level determinants, industry type and the firm size. Specifically, when it comes to marketing, there are three major areas that research ought to focus, which are advertising agency management, research management, and marketing management. In so doing, it is significant to note that gender pay gaps has over the years focused on the numerous gender-specific factors such as the differential treatment of equally qualified male and female and difference in treatment or qualifications (Blau & Kahn, 2017). Gender wage gap in marketing or generally the workforce is a problem that affects many in the society and requires measures to address it, however; it is never easy to address it completely.
The gender wage gap and wage discrimination is a reality that will take ages to deal with in the marketing industry. As Shen (2014) appreciates that women are getting employed like never before, the workforce is still fragmented with numerous inequalities. Many years have passed since the enactment of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which worked in unison to fight against workplace discrimination and unemployment; the gap between women’s and men’s average remunerations is still widespread across different employment industries including marketing (Shen, 2014). To some extent, it is clear that wage gap is still a measure of the manner in which the female workers are still discriminated in the workplaces. In fact, men and women are never paid equally for substantially equal work and this is not any different in marketing. This is a problem that continues to bedevil the workforce in various aspects. For instance, in 1999, the gender wage gap was 23.5% for every dollar earned since women earned 76.5% that of men (Shen, 2014). Although many researchers have highlighted numerous factors behind this trend, the gap still continues to grow but many people cite various reasons behind the increasing gap.
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Nonetheless, according to Gayle, Golan, & Miller, 2012), this uncomfortable trend has nothing to do with failure to fight discrimination in terms of wage discrimination based on voluminous evidence. Instead, wage discrimination between male and female workers in marketing is attributed to a number of differences in terms of the number of hours worked, training, experience, and occupation. As highlighted above, the gap may have to do with the accumulated effects of shorter hours and interrupted careers, which affects women’s earnings and prospects of getting promotion. To further understand this aspect, it is vital to break down the wage gap numbers into greater details.
In breaking down the numbers, it is essential to understand the gender wage gap composition, which will go a long way in helping understand if the correct wage portion is being used. The gender wage gap in marketing is usually inflated artificially by the Department of Labor based on the argument that women works for fewer hours compared to men on a weekly basis. However, when the focus is highlighted on hourly basis, one-third of the gap is always eliminated. For instance, in 1999, women’s hourly earning stood at roughly 84.8% of men’s and only leaving 15.2% gap in terms of hourly earnings (Weichselbaumer & Winter-Ebmer, 2005). Statistically, defining or understanding the gender wage gap in marketing based on hourly earning makes sense, however; it also illuminates the gains of the labor market made by female workers. All things considered, the gender wage difference or gap of 15.2 earnings that plays a major role subsequent to rectifying for the quantity of hours worked every week is fairly generous (Roche, 2017).
The other inquiry to examine is whether or not the gap in marketing is because of human capital factors, for example, training and experience among other factors such as industry, occupation and union status, which researchers also attribute to variance in terms of wage gap. The unexplained, or leftover, part of the gender wage gap could be because of wage discrimination, or to different elements, including job marketing factors that are hard to represent. As Roche (2017) examines this notion, it becomes clear that a few components of wage assurance are not satisfactorily controlled for in existing examinations. For instance, basically in view of childbearing, a woman’s work market experience will probably be irregular since she has other family obligations to attend to. Be that as it may, little is thought about the impacts of this marvel since it examines the aggregate number of years in the workforce, not for discontinuities.
Obviously, different sorts of discriminations may have had an influence in making human capital and different contrasts amongst men and women in marketing. Take, for instance, what has been called occupational segregation, whereby a particular or numerous occupations are staffed dominatingly by women. In most cases, female-dominated occupations tend to pay not as much as occupations staffed transcendently by their male counterparts. Is segregation in charge of this? Or, then again, as examinations by Blau & Kahn (2017) contend, are such occupational differences amongst men and women because of contrasts in childbearing and family duties? These two contrasts say the authors, represent the way that women, by and large, work fewer hours in any occupation, and have progressively and longer gaps in their workforce experience. These distinctions likewise imply that women additionally have a tendency to have more prominent motivations than men to choose occupations that are time-adaptable, and professions in which work aptitudes weaken slowest. Based on the above-elaborated instances, it clearly shows that gender wage gap in marketing too is accounted for to a great level based on the sex composition of the occupation.
Over and over again it is expected that the gender compensation gap is not proof of segregation, yet is rather a factual relic of neglecting to change for factors that could drive income contrasts between men and women. For instance, when a woman employee earns her first dollar, her occupation choice is usually a culmination of numerous years of study, direction by counselors, desires set by the individuals who raised her, contracting practices of firms, and societal standards and assumptions about work-family adjust held by businesses, associates, and society. As it were, despite the fact that women lopsidedly enter low-paying jobs, female-ruled occupations, this choice is formed by segregation, societal standards, and different powers outside the woman’s control (Weichselbaumer & Winter-Ebmer, 2005).
After highlighting on some of the causes of gender wage gap in marketing and generally at the workforce, it is prudent to highlight some of the solutions to this persistent problem. To address the problem of gender wage gap in marketing, it will be essential to employ three major solutions. One, the government and firms need to put in place family-friendly and workplace policies that favor women and children (Weichselbaumer & Winter-Ebmer, 2005). This approach will be aimed at supporting those single women with children but still earn less compared to men without children. Additionally, it is vital for such policies to incorporate or provide parental leave and paid leaves for sickness and family care. High-quality child care for such mothers and their children is also essential for marketing firms that want to hire competent workers. Two, it is vital to increase the minimum wages because the minimum wage earners globally are women. This is an approach that will help in closing the gender wage gap while reducing poverty and at the same minimizing inequality in terms of income. Raising the minimum wage by a certain percentage will go a long way in reducing gender wage gap that affects many states not only in marketing but across other industries. Thirdly and finally, it is also essential to further analyze the available data to ensure that female workers in marketing are compensated equally to their male counterparts. It is further important to analyze the recurrent causes of gender wage gap in marketing to ensure that women also get paid as their male workers (Blau & Kahn, 2003). Analyzing the available data will also help in addressing the problem through identifying possible improvements to the existing legal frameworks.
In conclusion, is it true that one is to take from the numbers presented in this essay on gender wage gap in marketing is basically an illusion and that gender wage segregation isn't a major issue? All things considered, the answer is both yes and no. Mostly, the gender wage gap in marketing is because of components other than wage segregation, so it is fanciful as an indicator of wage segregation. Regardless, no investigation has possessed the capacity to clarify it completely but merely cited numerous causes or factors contributing to this trend. Indeed, even in a world where there is no gender discrimination, but insofar as individuals have children, there will probably still be a gap between the earnings of men and women. Maybe the gender wage gap is most valuable as an indicator of changes in the basic desires and social standards that drive both male and female workers’ profession and workforce choices, which themselves might be influenced by different gender segregation.
The gender wage gap remains real and it affects many women around the world. In most cases, gender wage gap in marketing is assumed that is never based on job discrimination but rather statistical grounds that have over the years failed to drive differences in earnings among men and women. However, factors such as occupational differences between male and female employees are to a greater extent affected by gender bias. It is imperative to note that future focus should not only dwell on gender wage gap among women but also aim at aligning the marketing industry to favor both genders. It should also not focus on just increasing the remunerations but employing various approaches such as implementing policies that will improve the marketing workplace. Additional focus should be invested on examining where the economy offers unequal opportunities for women at various levels such as education, experience, training and career choices.
References
Blau, F. D., & Kahn, L. (2003). Understanding international differences in the gender pay gap. Journal of Labor Economics , 21 (1), 106-144.
Blau, F. D., & Kahn, L. M. (2017). The gender wage gap: extent, trends, and explanations. Journal of Economic Literature , 55 (3), 789-865.
Gayle, G., Golan, L., & Miller, R. A. (2012). Gender differences in executive compensation and job mobility. Journal of Labor Economics , 30 (4), 829-872.
Roche, K. (2017). Millenials and the gender wage gap in the U. S: a cross-cohort comparison of young workers in the 1960s and the 1980s. Atlantic Economic Journal, 45(3), 333.
Shen, J. (2014). Recent trends in gender wage inequality in the United States. Journal of Sociological Research , 5 (2), 32.
Weichselbaumer, D., & Winter-Ebmer, R. (2005). A meta-analysis of the international gender wage gap. Journal of Economic Surveys , 19 (3), 479-511.
