Research Paper on Gender Inequality in America

Introduction

Gender inequality presents current social problems affecting American men and women. Feminism effort has led to substantial women empowerment for the last 40years (Blau, p.4). Women have significantly contributed to the United States economic growth and development. However, gender gap issues such as imbalance in political representation, sexual harassment and unequal wage pay remain unresolved due to institutionalized gender discrimination. According to a research conducted by Pew Research Center on gender issues (PEW), 66% American men and women attribute sexual harassment, political and workplace discrimination as a reflection of looming social problems ailing the American society (Blau, p.5). The focus of this paper is to explore gender issues affecting women in the American society leading to the understanding and recognition of women as critical players in economic and social development. The ability of the American culture to accept and give equal political, economic and social rights leads to the betterment of the whole American society.

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A High Number of Employed American Women are Sexually Assaulted

The rate of sexual abuse is rampant in America due to institutionalized immorality. According to a research conducted by PEW (2017), one out of five women is sexually assaulted at the workplace. On aggregate, 22% of working women experience workplace sexual harassment. Women sexual harassment statistics are higher compared to 7% of men who are sexual harassment in the workplace. Influential colleagues and bosses are the most aggravators of sexual harassment, a lack of national and workplace focus on preventing sexual harassment has increased the incidences of sexual assault. The act of sexual harassment varies from verbal, cyber sexual bullying, and touching. In most circumstance, women experience verbal, touch and assault sexual harassment. For instance, the statistics indicate that 77% of women are harassed verbally, 27% are sexually assaulted, and 51% are touched without consent and 41% sexually harassed through the internet. From the statics, it is factual that sexual abuse America is a pervasive problem that needs urgent and operational workplace policies.

A lack of a proper code of conduct at the workplace has cultivated the prevalence of sexual misconduct behaviors. The United States has incorporated sexual harassment issue into the Civil Law and the Employment Discrimination Law. Sexual harassment under these laws is defined as unwarranted physical advances such as touching, demeaning, rubbing, and offensive comment and groping. Sexual harassment is further divided into Hostile Environment and Quid Pro Quo (HerscH, p.10). In the Hostile environment, an employee works in an unpleasant environment where colleagues use offensive language and make unfriendly sexual moves. On the other hand, Quid Pro Quo involves the misuse of authority to receive sexual favors for an employee to get a promotion or avoid sucking. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission need present complex procedures for filing sexual harassment complaints. Therefore, it is difficult to seek justice such as job reinstatement and monetary damages.

It is important to recognize that few states have successful Fair Employment Practice (FEP) policies. More so, American states with working sexual harassment policies fail to pay for damages. Although the EEOC grants an employee with a right to file a legal suit, lack of follow up by the responsible agencies such as the FEP Agency and EEOC encourages workplace hostility (Lockhart, p.55). The implication of sexual assault is tremendous since it causes mental and physical harm. Both male and Female, being victims of sexual harassment experience anxiety and broken relationships. Victims' live unhealthy life since the horror of sexual harassment is hard to overcome. More so, victims who refuse to succumb to sexual harassment end up losing their job, an indirect impact of the financial loss. Financial loss is a stressful experience that leads to depression. Organizations that have institutionalized sexual harassment experience a high rate of employee turnover and negative publicity.

The U.S has a High Gap of Gender Pay and Political Representation

The demand for equal pay for both genders is debatable topic since the 19th century. Research indicates that an employed woman in 1979 earned 62% of the male counterpart. Women average earning has increased to 82%, but there is no indication of a rise in pay in future (GAO, p.12). The U.S. labor statistics shows the concentration of one gender in specific industries. For example, a 2010 survey on U.S. labor force indicates that 65m women are working class but 53% of this group work in local government, education, health sector and utilities (Blau and Lawrence, p.787). Despite a high number of employed American women, they receive a low wage. According to the Government Accountability report of 2010, annually, women receive a low household pay approximated at $27,000 (GAO, p.8). Additionally, the American woman has a high chance of living below poverty line (Blau and Lawrence, p.787). According to National Women Law Center one out of eight women lives in poverty (Blau and Lawrence, p.787). Nationally, women living below poverty line are estimated at 17 million. The poverty line is drawn at 22,314 dollars, an average of 11 dollars per hour by the GAO report of 2011. A high number of impoverished women are single mothers.

The U.S. social attitude that men are breadwinners while a woman is a homemaker derails women economic growth. According to World Economic Forum, the U.S. ranking on gender equality dropped from the third position to sixteenth position in 2016 (BLS 2010, p.9). From the statistics, it is true that pay gap in gender is a real social problem in the U.S. New mothers and fathers lack paid leave, thus, making impossible to access quality childcare. The U.S labor laws deny new parents to paid leave contrary to paid leave laws in the U.S. Achieving gender equality at under these laws is difficult because new parents have to dig deeper into their pockets to cater for their newly born medical care. In fact, the cost of childcare is high in the United States, according to the OECD 2017 report; childcare consumes 22% of the family's disposable income for a working family of two children (p.3). In the case of a single parent, the childcare expense is extreme since childcare consumes 50% of the revenue (p.7). Female participation in the Labor force is depressed by these factors leading to work drop out since the wages are lower than the medical costs (McLaughlin et al., p.333).

American Women are Underrepresented Politically

In the political arena, gender inequality is deep-rooted in Congress underrepresentation and overrepresentation of one gender. In a total of five Congresspersons, there is only one woman. Furthermore, female representation in both legislative houses is low approximated at 29%. Lack of influential female leaders in political arena makes it difficult for them to articulate factors that undermine their social, technological and economic growth. Politically, women in the U.S. are stereotyped as weak leaders, thus, denied a chance to occupy leadership and managerial positions. In the United Legal firms, only 32% of the lawyers were women in 2010. The statistics are shocking because, among leading U.S. Law firms, there are no female leaders in 11% of the law firms (GAO, 13). Currently, the Senate comprises of only 100 seats. However, only 17 seats are reserved for female congresspersons. More so, in the Congress, women occupy 92 positions compared to 343 men seats. In the history of America, the country has never elected a female presidential candidate as the ruling president. The society politically believes strong leaders are masculine to handle both internal and global issues affecting America. President Donald Trump managed to win his presidential seat with a notion of making America strong again. It is a misconception about gender that needs a remedy from agents of equity in politics. The political prejudice about female leadership amounts to political underrepresentation and social injustices.

Factors Leading to Gender Inequality

Racism is a great contributor to gender inequality. Failure of the dominant American culture to absorb the minor groups increases gender disparity. According to Washington Center for Equitable Growth, women of color have limited social, political and economic opportunities thus lack a significant contribution to their wellbeing as well as the growth of national economies (Omi and Howard, p.11). A lack of proper policies to tackle racist employment and political opportunities continue to affect the U.S. labor force.

Apart from extreme racism in the United States, gender inequality is influenced by industry specifics and occupation. In industries and Occupations that are dominated by women such as education and social work, they receive low wages compared to male-dominated sectors such as manufacturing industry. Research statistics indicate that occupations with a high number of female workers earn low salaries. There is an annual wage difference of $2.4 billion due to a difference in profession and state (OECD 2017, p.1).

The role of workers union in the United States has failed to negotiate better female remuneration. Instead, the Unions have protested for better salaries and wages which favor male gender income. The wage floors work best in alleviating a gap in gender pay, Unionization has led to a significant boost in salaries and wages, but the effort is insufficient in eliminating gender inequality in the workplace (Grusky, p.13).

The American society has institutionalized gender roles with regards to sex differences. The masculinity thought characterizes female gender as weak thus undermining their capacity to lead effectively. For example, according to research statistics, Republican women lack a political voice because male figures dominate the party while women in Democrat Political Parties enjoy equity and freedom of choice, a reason why Hillary Clinton Contested for the presidency in 2016 (Grusky, p.17).

Recommendations and Conclusion

The United States needs to amend consolidated policies that favor both genders on matters employment and political participation. The EEOC needs to lessen procedures for filing sexual harassment claim and abolish attorney's charges in such cases. It ensures that the victim gets justice. The EEOC should also make a follow up different organization's work conditions and code of conduct. In this case, the commission should ensure that organizations make compulsory workplace policies to prevent sexual misconduct at the workplace. The organization leadership and management should have legal liability in protecting employees against sexual harassment, and employment discrimination.

In recent, consensus, the survey indicates that women are 50% of the total population of the United States. It is an excellent indicator of the need to empower women to prevent poverty and socio-economic inequalities. The economy of the United States will develop further if women are recognized as equal partners in social, technological, cultural and economic participation. Unions should enhance the rights of both genders at the workplace while bargaining for better terms of practice. Proposing policies that prevent wage discrimination in occupations dominated by both male and female is necessary to ensure a standard wage floor is observed. In this case, transparency and justification of wages for both genders will be required.

Gender inequality poses a high risk for the future economic growth and social transformation. America can be great again as well as continue to an influential country if the position of women in society is redefined. It...