In 2017, equality is extremely important in all aspects of life. Most importantly, equality should be universal for jobs, for all races, and for all genders because it should not matter what race or what gender someone holds, as long as they possess qualities that prove them to be good at what they do. Why should a woman get paid less than a man if both of them have the same exact qualifications for a job? This is a huge topic of issue in the world today, and many people wonder why it still exists, considering all the debates and laws against it. Today, women get paid 77 cents for every dollar that a man makes, regardless of whether or not they are doing the exact same job or have the same qualifications as their male counterpart. Companies need to achieve a sexually balanced, yet diverse workforce, as well as be equal to both men and women instead of discriminating against them because of their gender. 

The reality of the situation is that there is a 20% wage gap between men and women. Although some argue that this could be worse, 20% is a huge number especially when dealing with high salary jobs. Particularly in today’s world, there are more single mothers than ever, and they have to support their families on their own while getting paid significantly less than their male counterpart, which can be extremely harmful and discouraging to the mothers and their families. Kevin Miller discusses this problem in his article, “The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap (Fall 2016).” Miller discusses that, indeed, the gender pay gap has gone up since 2014, meaning that it has decreased, and become more equal to the salaries men are being paid. However, this change is merely tenths of a percentage point and is not significant enough to make a lasting difference. In fact, “there has not been a significant change since 2007…and at the rate it is progressing now women are expected to reach pay equity with men by 2059” (Miller 1). But why should women have to wait so long to be treated equally? This pay gap has been an ongoing issue since 1970, and if women have to wait for pay equity until 2059, they will be waiting 89 years, an actual lifetime to just be treated equally. 

Although the 20% wage gap seems huge, it is even bigger in some states, because different states have varying laws and some wage gaps are different than others. For example, New York has the smallest wage gap at 89%, and Wyoming has the largest at 64% according to Miller (2). There is no specific reason as to why states have a worse pay gap than others, it simply has to do with the fact that the minimum wage differs from state to state, affecting how big the gap is. A common misconception is that states have different laws that make their pay gap larger or smaller, but this is not true. To add to how wrongful this situation already is, the “wage gap is worse for women of color” (Miller 2). Looking at the numbers, Asian American women salaries show the smallest wage gap as 85% of their white male counterpart, and Hispanic and Latina women show the largest, at 54%.  This means that Hispanic and Latina women make just over half of every dollar for the same amount of work, just because of their gender and ethnicity. In “How to Bridge that Stubborn Pay Gap”, Claire Cain Miller discusses that it is actually illegal for companies to discriminate against employees because of their race and gender, stating that, “different laws are set in place so that women and minorities are not discriminated against, so this problem should not be happening at all in the workforce” (Cain Miller 3). Yet, companies seem to get around this law, by not directly discriminating against these specific people (i.e. not hiring women or minorities) but they just decide to pay them less. In the United States today, one would think that people should be treated far more equally than this. 

It is noted that women get paid more now than they used to, and many question how much the actual difference is. Rachel Wallace writes about this topic in her article, “By the Numbers: A Look at the Gender Pay Gap” and how the wage gap has gotten better for some but worse for others. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) states that the wage gap rose from 57% in 1973 to 78% in 2013, which was the last date reported by the graph. The number 78% “offers a snapshot of where women stand in making money for their families” (Wallace 1). The main problem though is, that the reasons behind this pay gap are still unexplainable. At this point in time, one would think that the United States has moved past this. However, according to the AAUW in this article, this gender pay gap is unexplainable, and they cannot seem to come up with a reason behind it. They do note that the pay gap gets worse with age, possibly because women become less effective and must take more time off as they get older. Women tend to become less productive because they have to take time off for instances like maternity leave, or as they get older they can not work as long of hours. Arguably though, men should be treated the same way as they get older because they become less effective as well. Just like women, men can not work as long of hours when they become of a certain age. The AAUW also reports that women are the main source of income for 40% of American families, and that women have to provide for their families, not just themselves; the pay gap is affecting everyone in a situation like that. In addition, the AAUW also states that, “it is more likely for a women to be a single mother than it is for a man to be a single father” (Wallace 2). With that being said, it is detrimental that women are making less especially if they are supporting a family. 

The gender pay gap is not ideal, and very unfair to many women, yet many think that if a woman is capable of getting a higher degree, that this would help them earn more money in the long run and eventually be paid equally to their male counterparts. Nevertheless, this assumption is wrong. Regardless of the degree, where the woman went to school, or how many accomplishments they have to add to their resume, major companies claim that women have to take time off more often than men for things such as maternity leave, and this is their excuse for paying them less. In “Women in Elite Jobs Face Stubborn Pay Gap” Janet Adamy and Paul Overburg explain that “higher educated women fair worst of all” (Adamy and Overburg 1). This is very ironic, considering that the most common assumption people make is if someone is able to achieve a higher degree, go to a better college, graduate with honors, etc., they should do it and they should be able to get hired at a better job and/or make more money. Although Adamy and Overburg can not seem to explain this in their article as to why this is the case, the statistics state that they have a harder time either finding a job, or get paid less once they have a job. 

Still, the main concern lies within the “why” of the situation. Other economists and author argue that women get paid less because of difference in productivity (meaning that men are more productive than women). David Card discusses differences in productivity as well as issues with equal laws in his journal, “Bargaining, Sorting, and the Gender Wage Gap: Quantifying the Impact of Firms on the Relative Pay of Women.” Card explains that “laws require equal access to job openings for men and women and equal treatment of male and female employees who apply to a firm” (Card 2). If this is the case, why should the gender wage gap still even be an issue? There are specific laws protecting women against this discrimination, but companies either choose to ignore it, or find loopholes around it. Card claims that companies can get around these laws by two factors. The first being that “firms that pay higher wages are less likely to higher women” (Card 4) meaning that they can get around the discrimination law because when they report their annual earnings, they only report men and therefore there is no discrimination because there are no women working there. The other factor that Card discusses is that firms “offer different average wage premiums” (Card 4), essentially just a loophole in the law. It is illegal and companies can be found guilty for lying about their salaries, or trying to get around them; it is just harder to detect when companies use loopholes because it is a gray area and “technically” they are not doing anything wrong. 

To look at the wage gap from a different point of view, Richard Wilkinson discusses not just specifically the wage gap, but how inequality in general harms society. The wage gap itself is a form of inequality, and it is extremely detrimental to society in the long run. Wilkinson discusses in his lecture a lot of “what if” scenarios and worrying about if the economy is not going to get better because it is so unequal. Wilkinson discusses the differences in pay between the rich and the poor, and how most women fall within the poor section, which is very eye opening for people to see. However, the most important part of this lecture is when Wilkinson discusses what can potentially happen if the gender pay gap continues to go on in the United States. He emphasizes that all types of inequality are harmful to society, but especially the gender pay gap because it is affecting such a huge population. Not only is it affecting women, but it trickles down to their families, more specifically their children. Looking at other types of inequality, they do not affect such a huge part of society like the wage gap does. Theoretically, women make up about half of society, so if that many people are being affected by the pay gap, a huge part of society is being treated unfairly and it can overall be detrimental to the economy. 

Another important aspect of the gender pay gap that is not talked about in a lot of articles is the topic of women’s unpaid work that they do at home. In “Breaking Down the Gender Wage Gap,” the US Census Bureau discusses how women not only get paid less in the labor force, but they also “are more likely to spend time performing unpaid household responsibilities than men” (US Census Bureau 3). When the wage gap is looked at through this point of view, it seems even more unfair than it already is, being that women are doing more work on average at home than men, and on top of that they are getting paid less in the workforce. Because of these additional duties that women have to do at home, it may affect their hours in the workforce, being that a full time working mother may not be able to work as many hours as her husband, because she is expected to take care of everything at home and within the family. The topic of stereotypes is another issue to discuss, but if men were expected to do as much as women were at home, they would most likely not be able to work the hours that they do now. The US Census Bureau also reports that “in 2012, only 10% [of women] received childcare assistance from their employer” (US Census Bureau 3). If this is the case, then certainly women have to spend more time at home if they are not being compensated by their work; someone has to take care of their family.   

Statistics and facts prove that the gender wage gap is a huge issue today, nevertheless, some people believe that it is a myth, or that it is over exaggerated and not actually as big of a difference as people claim it to be. John Gray argues that the gender wage gap is false in his article, “The Gender Wage Gap is a Myth.” Gray specifically targets democrats, stating that they tend to pity women instead of celebrating their accomplishments and this is how the wage gap “myth” came about (Gray 1). His main argument is that the “gender wage gap is simply just fuzzy math and statistically men work more hours than women which is why they get paid more” (Gray 1). When first reading this, the reader will most likely side with Gray and agree that if men work more hours than women then, indeed, they should get paid more. However, what Gray fails to recognize is that regardless of whether or not men work more hours than women, the women are still getting paid less independent of the total hours worked. He even says in his article that there is a wage gap, but “it is not 77 cents to every dollar. The real wage gap is only 91% and even that small difference can mostly be accounted for” (Gray 1). Ironically, Gray is trying to argue that the gender wage gap is a myth, yet he acknowledges that there is a wage gap, it is just over exaggerated by people. What people like Gray fail to realize is that the gender wage gap can be looked at as a myth if the information is presented incorrectly or if they choose to ignore the statistics. This author presents valid points, however he does not recognize that even if he believes 91% is not a big deal, it is still a wage gap, and it should be at 100%, so there is no wage gap at all. 

Marina Bolotnikova sides with people like John Gray in her article “Reassessing the Gender Wage Gap.” This article argues that the gender wage gap is not necessarily as dramatic as others make it out to be, and although this article doesn’t state that it is a myth, it does say that “the statistics can be misinterpreted because men and women are not working the exact same job” (Bolotnikova 1), just the same hours. This is a common mistake made by many people because they look at the comparison between men and women, but with different jobs. Of course, a female teacher is going to be paid less than a male surgeon; this is simply not the argument. The problem is that regardless, a female teacher gets paid less than a male teacher, and contrary, a female surgeon gets paid less than a male surgeon. When looking at the charts, the audience must look at what is being compared instead of just the visual aspect because this can be commonly misconstrued.  

After learning all of this information about the gender pay gap, the next problem is whether or not it will get better or shrink in the future. According to many economists and authors, they are very worried that the gender pay gap could possibly ruin the economy in the future. However, Lindsey Davis discusses that it could potentially get better in her article, “Will the Gender Pay Gap Shrink in the Future?” Davis discusses all of the facts of the wage gap, as well as offering a lot of different options and opportunity to make the pay gap shrink. Davis suggests that “promoting more social acceptance for fathers to take this leave would also help [the pay gap]” (Davis 1). Although this is not a direct solution to the issue, if more fathers stay at home, this opens up more jobs and more opportunities for women. The hope is that companies will replace these new stay at home fathers with working women, but of course the opposite could potentially happen as well. Davis discusses more direct solutions to the problem when she says that she wants to implement “blind screening of resumes using the Rooney Rule” (Davis 1). The Rooney Rule is a rule that would be implemented in all companies and states that “for every manager position open, consider one woman and one underrepresented minority in the slate of candidates” (Davis 1). This rule was created to give everyone a fair opportunity to get a job; however, the rule only considers the women and the underrepresented minorities, it does not guarantee they will get another interview or receive the job. Davis also presents ideas such as support programs that, “increase quality, affordable childcare, and start teaching children at a young age to eliminate gender bias and social taboos associated with career choice” (Davis 2). Although these resolutions are not direct fixes to the problem, they offer insight on how society can start to end the gender pay gap. For example, trying to eliminate gender bias in children starts off the new generation with the idea that men and women should be equal. Eventually, they will grow up and apply for jobs, as well as become bosses. The effect will be that when they hire people, they will not have a gender bias toward anyone. It will take a long time, but the hope is that eventually men and women will receive equal pay and by doing at least some of the things that Davis presents in her article, it is a start. 

There are many issues to address throughout society and the economy today in the United States. The gender pay gap is a huge ongoing issue that is and will continue to be very harmful to the economy. The biggest issue of the wage gap is that there still is not an actual fix that has been found for it yet, it is ultimately up to individual companies on whether or they not they will hire women and/or pay them as much as they pay their male counterparts. However, there needs to be a fix for this, as we now see what will happen to society if the wage gap continues. Let us also not forget that our children are the future of the generation, do we want our kids to grow up in an unfair society where they are not getting the salary they should earn? For now, it is important to continue to keep people in society informed about the statistics and facts of the wage gap itself, and encourage people to break the gender stereotype and shrink the wage gap. Hopefully, men and women will get paid equally in the future and companies can ultimately achieve that sexually balanced, yet diverse workforce. 
