Gender wage gap is still a major social phenomenon in the workplace. Despite the existence of The Equal Pay Act (2010), women in the United States earn about 80% or less of what their male counterparts earn. The significantly high difference in earning is perpetuated by factors such as workplace flexibility, gender stereotypes, occupational segregation, and the number of hours worked. The gender stereotypes reinforce the common beliefs that there are certain jobs meant for men and others for women. A majority of female-related occupations normally attract low wages. The male-dominated occupations, on the other hand, attract higher wages, explaining why men are more likely to be more economically empowered. Women are normally considered to be the primary caregivers. They work for fewer hours compared to their male colleagues since they also need some time to raise children and take care of the family. Many companies offer unpaid maternal leave, which affects the woman’s economic position. Some of the recommendations to address the challenge of gender-wage gap include adherence to the Equal Pay Act (2010), barring companies from asking questions on previous salaries, providing on-site childcare services, and enhancing flexible working policies.
Since the 1980s, there has been a positive progress as far as addressing the gender wage gap is concerned. In the 1980s, women earned about less than 70% of men’s wages (Williams & Richardson, 2011). The 2015 statistics by the Pew Research Center established that the wage gap has narrowed significantly, especially among the millennials. By 2015, women were paid slightly higher than 80% of what the men earned in the same occupation (Burgin, 2016). The results demonstrate a major improvement in enhancing equal pay in the United States. However, there are still major questions that need answers. One of the lingering questions is why men should receive higher wages, especially considering that they are working in the same occupation, same managerial level, and having equal qualifications.
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Recently, the United States female soccer players alleged the existence of a huge gender wage gap in the profession. Female players receive an average of $ 37,800 compared to the men’s average of $300,000 (Close, 2016). It is imperative to note that this pay difference is not determined by the performance, but by the wage ceilings. In fact, the national female soccer players have been more successful than their male counterparts. That notwithstanding, the male professionals continue to earn higher allowances and wages, regardless of whether they have won a match or not. The female team is required to work harder. The wages and allowances are dependent on their performance.
At the workplace, the gender wage gap is the norm. A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, it was found that male nurses made more than $5,000 than their female counterparts (Muench et al., 2015). The situation was even worse among the African American, Latinos, and the Asian women. Additionally, the same study found a gender wage gap of more than $17,000 among the anesthetists. The high wage gap is unjustifiable owing to the fact that both the men and women nurses attend the same training and have similar qualifications. It would be expected that the wage gap issue should not be there in the first place. Studies also indicate that male doctors’ wages are 24% higher than that of their female counterparts. The gender wage gap continues to be dominant in virtually all the occupations.
Factors Leading to Gender Wage Gap
Negotiation Tactics
Both men and women in the United States have an equal opportunity to apply for a job. When they are shortlisted, men are found to be more assertive and confident when negotiating about the starting salary. Also, after working for a certain period of time, men are more likely to ask for a wage increment compared to their female counterparts. Generally, a significant number of women fear to ask for the wage increment. This is especially for the occupations that are believed to be male-dominated. Another major challenge is that of asking about the previous wages. Companies have the tendency to ask employees to declare the much they earned from the previous employment. While this is not always a bad practice, it becomes negative when it becomes the basis for determining how much the employees will earn. Normally, some companies will offer less than ten percent more than what the employees earned in their previous job. When this happens, women become the most affected as the low wages are still perpetuated in the new work environment.
Gender Stereotypes
The gender stereotype is another major factor that has impeded the efforts to address gender wage gap (Korgen, Korgen, & Giraffe, 2015). One of the beliefs is that certain occupations are more suitable for men and others for women. What is surprising is that if men work in the female-dominated occupations, they will earn much higher wages. On the contrary, women working in the male-dominated careers will earn a wage that is significantly lower than that of the male employees. Another stereotype is that men are more hardworking, work longer hours, and provide quality work. The assertion that men work for more hours than the female is true. Studies have shown that on average, men will work more than 50 hours than female employees (Korgen, Korgen & Giraffe, 2015). However, this is explained by factors such as maternal leave. Apart from that, some women will take some time off to take care of the family. As such, men will have more hours of work than their male counterparts. This does not mean women are lazy or they cannot handle stressful occupations. Another stereotype is that women are much better in careers that require one to show tenderness and care. As such many women tend to be elementary teachers, receptionists, officer messengers, secretaries, and waiters. Women are discouraged from pursuing sciences, mathematics, and technology. The resultant effect is that men continue to earn huge salaries than their female colleagues who work in low wage occupations.
Work Environment
Certain occupations are very demanding. Employees are required to work longer hours, including possibilities of overtime. Some jobs will also involve traveling away from home on a number of occasions. This kind of work environment is unfavorable for women who place much importance on their family. The inflexible work conditions have caused many women to quit their jobs or seek occupations that are less demanding. In so doing, women find themselves working for fewer hours and in low-paying jobs. Additionally, most companies fail to give paid maternity leave. This leaves most women at a disadvantage since men have a choice to accept the paternity leave, which is even much shorter. When a child is sick, it is the female parent employee who is likely to take leave. The fact that men are more likely to be at work most of the time explains why they are more likely to occupy particular occupations. For instance, in the United States, the male physicians see close to 60% of the patients, compared to their female colleagues (Muench et al., 2015). The male physicians also perform more services, explaining why they are likely to receive higher wages. In the most demanding careers, males will be the dominant gender.
Discrimination
The only way to interpret the perpetual huge wage gap based on gender is by focusing on the question of discrimination. It appears that employers discriminate against women in remunerations. When men get higher wages when they have same qualifications and experience as their female counterparts, then it is imperative to address the problem of discrimination. Traditionally, women have been forced to take the household chores, including being the primary caregivers. In such an environment, women cannot work for the same number of hours like the male employees. It is, therefore , unfair to deny women paid leave when it is clear that they have to take care of the family, including an ailing child or spouse.
Recommendations
Labor Laws and Policies
Employers should enforce the Equal Pay Act (2010) that prohibits the gender wage discrimination. In women find evidence of discrimination, they should be empowered to report the cases for legal redress. Employers who are found to have contravened the equal pay labor laws should be fined heavily and required to compensate affected employees for all the months they were denied their right wages. The stiff measures will motivate employers to adhere to the equal pay rules. Employers will also create an environment that treats all employees fairly.
Favorable and Flexible Environment
Women have more responsibilities, especially owing to the fact that they are also the primary caregivers. As such, employers should create a flexible working environment to enable women to perform their duties effectively. One of the main strategies is to ensure that women remain focused on their work is by providing them with the on-site childcare services. This will motivate the mothers to be more productive and spend most of their time at the place of work. Additionally, it is imperative to ensure that mothers get paid maternal leave. The goal is to ensure that mothers are also compensated for the time they were not at the place of work for something unavoidable.
Barring Questions on Previous Wages
The department of labor should prohibit employers from asking recruits about their previous wages. Sometimes the intentions of asking such questions are to perpetuate discrimination in wages. Employers ought to use the stipulated minimum wages to determine how much employees should receive regardless of the previous wages. Additionally, the minimum wages should be enforced in all organizations and those flaunting the rules being punished according to the labor laws.
Addressing Gender Stereotypes
Certain stereotypes, especially on occupation segregation ought to be addressed by both the community and institutions. All children should know that they can do any career regardless of gender. Parents should encourage girls to pursue sciences and technology. Girls should also consider careers that male-dominated. As such, women will see the wage gap narrow significantly. It is also imperative to ensure that both men and women receive equal pay, provided they have same qualifications and working in the same managerial level. The stereotypes that depict men as the most hardworking employees also ought to be addressed. Given time and a favorable environment, women can work as much as the men do and provide quality work.
In conclusion, despite the efforts to address the gender wage gap, the challenge has not been fully addressed. Women are still earning lower wages compared to men even when they have same qualifications, experience, and working in the same managerial position. Factors such as gender stereotypes, unpaid maternity leave, and inflexible working environment, help to perpetuate the gender wage gap. In an effort to address the challenge, companies should adhere to the equal pay laws. Female employees should have the right to sue any employer who is suspected of applying discriminatory practices when it comes to remunerations. Companies should create a flexible work environment to help women to strike a balance between work and family. Gender stereotypes surrounding occupations ought to be addressed. Women should be encouraged to take science and math courses. Ultimately, dissemination of information on negative effects of gender wage gap should be enhanced in all organizations.
References
Bailey, J., Hershbein, B. & Miller, R. (2012). "The Opt-In Revolution? Contraception and the Gender Gap in Wages". American Economic Journal: Applied Economics . 4 (3): 225–54.
Burgin, S. (2016). "White Women, Anti-Imperialist Feminism and The Story of Race Within the US Women's Liberation Movement". Women's History Review . 25 (5): 756–770.
Close, K. (2016). Here's How Poorly Female Soccer Players Are Paid Compared to Men . Retrieved from http://time.com/money/4277843/us-womens-soccer-equal-pay/
Korgen, O., Korgen, O. & Giraffe, V. (2015). Social issues in the workplace (2nd ed.) [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
Muench, U., Sindelar, J., & Busch, H. et al. (2015). Salary Differences Between Male and Female Registered Nurses in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association . 2015;313(12):1265-1267. doi :10.1001/jama.2015.1487
Williams, C. & Richardson, V. (2011). "New Millennium, Same Glass Ceiling? The Impact of Law Firm Compensation Systems on Women". Hastings Law Journal . 62: 597
