Most countries recognize and reward the sacrifices that women make. It is unfortunate that the US is among the few countries which punish women instead of promoting their wellbeing. In the US, women earn significantly less than men. Moreover, the US has no law that guarantees paid leave for new mothers. The country’s failure to invest in the wellbeing of women shows that the gender gap is not merely a gender issue; it is a social one.
Josh Bivens, Emma Garcia, Ellse Gould, Elaine Weiss and Valerie Wilson (2016) joined forces to author a report in which they call for the US to promote the education of children. One of the issues that they address is the link between the nation’s growth and the need to address gender disparities in pay. These authors argue that to effectively deliver social services, the US needs to narrow the pay gap. This argument clearly indicates that the gender pay gap is not a gender issue but a social one. It is a social issue because solving it holds the key to promoting the social wellbeing of the American people.
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The fact that American women support families financially is another issue that makes the gender pay gap a social question. The US economy and the wellbeing of American families hinges on the productivity and effort of women (“An Unlevel Playing Field”, 2015). Essentially, the very social fabric of American society rests on the sweat and toil of women. Therefore, it is only fair to reward women for their sacrifice and effort through better pay. Since the gender pay gap compromises the wellbeing of American families and the country’s economy, it is a social issue that requires urgent intervention.
The Pew Research Center published a report that focuses on the state of fatherhood in the US. According to the report, many families struggle in their efforts to ensure work-life balance (Parker & Livingston, 2017). Women are particularly unable to balance the demands of their jobs with the expectation that they should care for their families. One of the sources of these struggles is the gender pay gap. Essentially, women perform two shifts, one at the workplace and the other in their homes. For all the sacrifices that they make, the women do not receive any reward. Instead, they are paid less despite performing the same jobs as men. The fact that the gender pay gap hampers the efforts of women to achieve work-life balance makes this gap a social issue. If the US is truly committed to promoting the empowerment of women, it should enact a law which mandates businesses to provide paid family leave to all working American women.
References
Bivens, J., Garcia, E., Gould, E., Weiss, E., & Wilson, V. (2016). It’s time for an
Ambitious national investment in America’s children. Washington, DC:
Economic Policy Institute.
Parker, K., & Livingston, G. (2017). 6 facts about American fathers. Pew Research
Center. Retrieved June 4, 2018 from
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/15/fathers-day-facts/
An Unlevel Playing Field. (2015). National Partnership for Women and Families.
