Imagine one morning after 19 years of service as a manager, you find in your inbox; your name, pay, and the name of three other colleagues with their pay. A comparison of the four salaries reveals two striking findings. First, the three salaries of your colleagues are consistent. However, they are double your amount, yet you hold the same job title. There must be something more to it that the three colleagues have that you lack. The three colleagues are male, and you are female. That was the story of Lilly Ledbetter in 1998. She awoke to the gender discrimination that her company Goodyear was propagating for her 19 years of service. After challenging the case in court, she was awarded $3.8 million by a federal court. However, a subsequent appeal to the supreme court overturned and upheld the ruling in 2007, leaving her empty-handed. Lilly Ledbetter was facing gender discrimination 56 years after progressive legislation on equal pay. Equal pay in the U.S.A. has a history that dates back from the second world war. Women need to receive equal pay through legislation and enforcement to enhance their role of providing for their families.
During the second world war, men in the U.S.A. enlisted in the army and left jobs. Women directly replaced the male vacancies. It is, however, surprising that despite the women holding the same roles and responsibility, earn an average of two thirds less than what their male counterparts earned. In 1942, the National war Labour Board endorsed policies that required women to earn equally when they directly replace their male counterparts. The U.S.A Congress later picked the initiative in 1945 through the introduction of the Equal pay Act though it failed to pass. On June 10 th , 1963, President John F. Kennedy administration made a significant contribution to the Equal pay law by amending the Fair Labour Standards Act of 1938 into the Equal pay Act of 1963. Ever since more legislation like the civil rights Act 1964, educational amendment 1972, pregnancy discrimination act 1978, and the Lilly Ledbetter fair play Act 2009 have reinforced equal pay.
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According to Graf et al., (2019) , although there are various legislations on Equal pay, women still earned about 85% less than men as of 2018. It is a slight improvement compared to 80% less than men in 2017. According to Drolet and Mumford (2011), the reasons for unequal pay include women's choices, industry, motherhood, and gender norms. The decision of women in the U.S.A. to work part-time even when fulltime roles are available has led them to attract lower wages. Also, women are a majority in industries that are less paying, such as education compared to their male counterparts that concentrate in technological sectors. Motherhood also has been a basis of discriminating against women's pay. Finally, cultural norms have defined male and female-oriented jobs. The definition of the roles makes female employees in the roles less preferred and attract a lesser pay compared to males. Therefore, there is a need for legislation that compels employees to pay females equally for the same jobs and responsibilities they hold with their male counterparts.
Women need to be equally compensated as men to enhance their role as caregivers. The 2019 census revealed that there are 7.7 million single mothers with children under the age of 18 in the U.S.A ( The U.S.A. Census Bureau, 2020) . As Such, equal pay is likely to enhance their capability of raising their children. Furthermore, women are increasingly taking up the role of caregivers in families. Other than being single mothers, they actively participate in contributing to the earnings of the families among married couples. As found by Furman (2019) , the rate of unemployment in men is higher than women. It, therefore, hurts the family if the women being the sole breadwinners are discriminated based on gender.
In conclusion, there is a need for legislation to ensure equal compensation between men and women. The legislation has a long history that dates back from 1942. Ever since there have been several legislations that prohibit discrimination against gender, examples include the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Lilly Ledbetter fair play Act 2009. However, despite the current legislation, there is still discrimination, as witnessed by Lilly Ledbetter in 1998. Additionally, women are increasingly taking up the role of caregivers. Some are single mothers raising children under the age of 18, or they are supporting their unemployed husbands. The reasons that have made unequal pay include women's choices, industry, motherhood, and gender norms. However, the current trend of pay discrimination shows a closing gap that will possibly close in the next century.
References
Graf, N., Brown, A., & Patten, E. (2019). The narrowing, but persistent, gender gap in pay . Pew Research Center. Retrieved February 27th, 2020, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/03/22/gender-pay-gap-facts/.
Furman, J. (2019). The American Working Man Still Isn’t Working: Our Economic Recovery Has Left Many Behind. Foreign Affairs . Retrieved February 27th, 2020, from https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2019-09-19/american-working-man-still-isnt-working.
Drolet, M., & Mumford, K. (2011). The Gender Pay Gap for Private-Sector Employees in Canada and Britain. British Journal of Industrial Relations , 50 (3), 529-553. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.2011.00868.x
The U.S.A. Census Bureau. (2020). National Single Parent Day: March 21st, 2019 . The United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 27th, 2020, from https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/2019/single-parent-day.html.
