Summary
According to the article, black women in the United States work longer hours or even extra months but still earn relatively fewer wages as compared to their white male counterparts. For a black woman to equal a white male's earnings in a previous year, they must work a whole year. In other words, it takes approximately two years or more for a black woman's earning to equal a white man's wages earned in a single year. According to the author, the difference in earnings between the genders commonly referred to as the gender wage gap, is attributed to various factors. Among the factors that influence the gender wage gap are measurable and include experience and perceived workplace superiority of the male gender.
Even so, none of these factors can be employed in the understanding of the gender wage gap. Workplace superiority of male gender and work experience significantly broadens the gender wage gap, which is perceived as a form of gender discrimination. Other than the gender wage gap, there is also a racial wage gap, which has been in existence for several decades now. Workplace racial discrimination has manifested in several business setups and creates a disparity in earnings between people of color and white employees. Racial-driven wage disparity is also linked to such factors as education level. The article ascertains that the most striking wage disparity exists between black women and white men. However, comparatively, white women also earn higher as compared to black women. Due to racial and gender wage disparity, the United States has embarked on measures that aim to ensure equal pay for equal work regardless of a worker's race or gender. This approach is streamlined to create equality and offer legal protection to workers and safeguard them from pay discrimination by ensuring everyone is fairly paid.
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Analysis
Unlike some decades back, today, women work in different industries and occupy different managerial positions. However, black women are still grappling with the menace of racial and gender biases. As a result of these biases, black women face unique challenges, unfair expectations, and unfair stereotypical assumptions that dictate their position in the workplace. Such work expectations are deeply rooted in racial and gender biases that prevailed during slavery and after slavery. Since women joined the labor force, black women workers were frequently relegated to low-paying slots, fairly paying jobs were left for white women while the good-paying ones were strictly reserved for men. Black women were discriminated against at workplaces due to their less privileged status as compared to white women who enjoyed elevation in the societal hierarchy. There is a misleading perception that black women do not work hard and must be pushed to perform well. Some people also feel that black women should get satisfied with any job and not necessarily secure a job they best deserve. There are biased stereotypical perceptions about black women that bar them from occupying certain positions.
Response
Achieving equality between blacks and whites and men and women by addressing the issue of racial and gender wage disparity requires a comprehensive analysis and understanding of the context and nature of work. Exploring parameters that influence how Black women's work is valued is essential in discovering the origin of discrimination. This helps in the implementation of strategies that ensure wage equality and fair pay. Policymakers must focus on a range of actions to ensure black women receive equal and fair pay. Policymakers must, therefore, address all factors linked to racial and gender biases that affect wages. Therefore, it means that black women must be provided with sufficient, more robust legal protections and better information about pay practices.
Reference
Frye, J., (2019). Racism and Sexism Combine to Shortchange Working Black Women (Published August 22, 2019). Center for American Progress , Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/news/2019/08/22/473775/racism-sexism-combine-shortchange-working-black-women/
