Americans today often hear talk of a so-called “wage gap” and probably do not think much of it. In today’s society, many people think that women are now equal to men, when in fact the opposite is true. Women are still struggling to be seen as equal to men, but they are not given the chance to prove themselves due to institutional bias in the workplace. Although the wage gap is often referred to as a myth, it is very much a real problem, and in fact, the average woman loses $431,000 to the wage gap over the course of a 40-year career (Cooper). Therefore, today’s women are working harder than ever before and continue to feel the effects of gender discrimination through the wage gap instead of the equality they have been striving for so many
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The gender wage gap for single women is even larger than it is for women who are married, with single women earning 21.2% less, and 57 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Additionally, for women with children the gap widens by about 7 percent with each child (Cooper). Women's pay generally goes down the more children they have, because they often need to take time off of work because their hours are not flexible. Women with children are paid 7-14 percent less than women without children for equivalent work, perpetuating how mothers are perceived as less competent in the workplace. This is untrue, because oftentimes mothers are more productive than childless women, due to the possibility that they are better at handling stress, problem solving, and have good memories (Labaton). Although women are earning the majority of college degrees, they still earn five percent less than the males that went to the same school, had the same grades and got the same jobs and had the same marital status and family makeup. Even with women being equally as competitive, the gap widened to 12% after 10 years (Cooper). In addition, the numbers show that women always make less than men, no matter their race or ethnicity. According to the Federal Reserve report, White women earn 21.9% less than White men, Black women earn 10.2% less than Black men, Latinas earn 8.7% less than Latino men, and Asian-American women earn 20.3% less than Asian-American men (Cooper). Almost every woman will feel the effects of the gender wage gap in her lifetime; this means that almost 50 percent of the population experiences an unfair disadvantage at some
The gender wage gap for single women is even larger than it is for women who are married, with single women earning 21.2% less, and 57 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Additionally, for women with children the gap widens by about 7 percent with each child (Cooper). Women's pay generally goes down the more children they have, because they often need to take time off of work because their hours are not flexible. Women with children are paid 7-14 percent less than women without children for equivalent work, perpetuating how mothers are perceived as less competent in the workplace. This is untrue, because oftentimes mothers are more productive than childless women, due to the possibility that they are better at handling stress, problem solving, and have good memories (Labaton). Although women are earning the majority of college degrees, they still earn five percent less than the males that went to the same school, had the same grades and got the same jobs and had the same marital status and family makeup. Even with women being equally as competitive, the gap widened to 12% after 10 years (Cooper). In addition, the numbers show that women always make less than men, no matter their race or ethnicity. According to the Federal Reserve report, White women earn 21.9% less than White men, Black women earn 10.2% less than Black men, Latinas earn 8.7% less than Latino men, and Asian-American women earn 20.3% less than Asian-American men (Cooper). Almost every woman will feel the effects of the gender wage gap in her lifetime; this means that almost 50 percent of the population experiences an unfair disadvantage at some