Gender Wage Gap Discrimination

Evidence of discrimination can be found throughout history books, documentaries, and even movies. The most common forms of discrimination discussed in these mediums deal with race, religion, and women’s rights. While these issues were somewhat solved in the 20th century, the world still has some forms of discrimination that need more attention. Perhaps one of the most pressing form of discrimination occurs in the work place. The issue of the gender wage gap has recently gotten more exposure in the media, which has led to many women getting interested in the matter at hand. Although several women are becoming aware of the issue, there are still many women who don’t know about the gender wage gap, and how they’re impacted by the gap. To better understand the problem with the gender wage gap, we must first know its numerical value. In January 2016, Patrick Dorrian interviewed Charlotte A. Burrows, a commissioner for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In the interview, Mrs. Burrows stated that the gender wage gap in 1963 was 41%. The percentage means that for every dollar men made, women only made 59 cents (Burrows). She goes on to say, “More than 50 years after passage of the Equal Pay Act, women on average still earn just 79 cents for every …show more content…
Higher education should result in higher wages, right? However, if we examine the facts, this is revealed to be false. In a report from the Government Accountability Office, the office asserted that, “Women have surpassed men with respect to obtaining high school diplomas and college degrees” (GAO). The report goes on to say that 37% of the women with high school diplomas went on to earn a bachelor’s degree or higher, while the amount of men with those achievements was a mere 29%. (GAO). While there is a large number of women with higher education and lower wages, there is an even greater number of women with equal education as men and unequal