“In this country women are earing 77% of what their male counterparts earn. This means that women would need to work an extra three months in order to earn the same amount that men did in the past year” (Patten, 2015). When Thomas Jefferson drafted the declaration of Independence he hoped to form a new country in which its people would be served by their government. In this document it states that “all men are created equal” (Declaration of Independence, 1776), but yet today, over 200 years since it was signed we see that not everyone is truly considered to be equals. In today’s society, men and women are not being paid the same amount for their work. Significant research has been conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor proving that women
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There was also an attempt to regulate this wage gap with the 1963 Equal Pay Act that was passed in an effort to ensure that women who are performing the same work as their male counterparts get paid equally. Not only are the women who are receiving unequal wages being affected, but their families are as well. With all of these factors piling upon one another there is a constant struggle for women to receive the equality they need in the work environment.
The declaration of Independence promises all U.S. citizens the right to be treated equally, but if we take a closer look at our society we realize that this principle is not being held up. In present day, topics such as gay rights have become subjects of popular discussion. One issue that has remained constant for several years is that of equal pay for men and women. In today’s society there is a 21% pay gap between what men and women earn (“Pay Equity & Discrimination”). For every …show more content…
This act would work by forcing employers to pay their workers the same amount for equal work. At the time the act was passed, women were only making 59 cents for every dollar that was paid to men and today women make 78 cents for every dollar paid to men. Unfortunately, the act has not completely eliminated the wage gap and has taken over 40 years to close 19 cents in the gap. Not only has the Equal Pay Act taken a long time to take effect, employers are finding loopholes in the act to get away with their discrimination against women. Although it was a good idea, the Equal Pay Act has been poorly executed and has not fulfilled its promise at closing the wage
There was also an attempt to regulate this wage gap with the 1963 Equal Pay Act that was passed in an effort to ensure that women who are performing the same work as their male counterparts get paid equally. Not only are the women who are receiving unequal wages being affected, but their families are as well. With all of these factors piling upon one another there is a constant struggle for women to receive the equality they need in the work environment.
The declaration of Independence promises all U.S. citizens the right to be treated equally, but if we take a closer look at our society we realize that this principle is not being held up. In present day, topics such as gay rights have become subjects of popular discussion. One issue that has remained constant for several years is that of equal pay for men and women. In today’s society there is a 21% pay gap between what men and women earn (“Pay Equity & Discrimination”). For every …show more content…
This act would work by forcing employers to pay their workers the same amount for equal work. At the time the act was passed, women were only making 59 cents for every dollar that was paid to men and today women make 78 cents for every dollar paid to men. Unfortunately, the act has not completely eliminated the wage gap and has taken over 40 years to close 19 cents in the gap. Not only has the Equal Pay Act taken a long time to take effect, employers are finding loopholes in the act to get away with their discrimination against women. Although it was a good idea, the Equal Pay Act has been poorly executed and has not fulfilled its promise at closing the wage