Research Paper on Wage Gap Between Sexes

Introduction

Gender wage gap refers to the difference in earnings between the males and females. The issue is and has been one of the problems in the United States labor force. Speculatively, for the longest period, women have been earning their income as per the rate at which men are making. Statistics show that in 1963 in the U.S. females earned 59 cents for every one dollar that a man was receiving (Bettio, 2002). However, the situation seems not to be worsening because as time goes by the rate at which wages are being paid to both men and women keeps on increasing; even though the notion that the ladies earn less than men still dominates human mind. Evidently, in 2009 for every dollar earned by a man a woman would make 80 cents. In comparison with what they were earning in 1963 and what they got in 2009, it is true that the situation has been improving, but obviously at a languid pace (Aisenbrey & Bruckner, 2008). Although the United States' constitution advocates for equal rights and wages for both men and women, following the argument that they were all created equally, women have not yet reached the point at which they receive equal wages with men.

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Despite the efforts to curb the issue of unequal wages between men and women, it is said that women play a significant role towards hindering the achievement of this goal. On the subject of the gender wage gap, the society argues that women disproportionally opt for stereotypical female jobs or get themselves absorbed in lower-paying employment; hence it seems they volunteer for low wages (Dwyer, 2013). Nevertheless, when both men and women seek for the same occupation such as nurses, hairdressers, cosmetologists, computer engineers, construction workers, or teachers, men always tend to earn more than women. The United States government tries to encourage women to do technical courses, originally reserved for men, by partly paying their fees in an attempt to curb the wage gap.

Parents are strongly advised to nurture their children skills right from the time they are born (Blackburn & Brooks, 2002). It is believed that when girls are young, they are more certain of their abilities than boys. Advisably, both boys and girls, should be left free to indulge in any activity that can facilitate their career in the future. Though even after some women acquire the necessary education allowing them to carry out the STEM careers, some may end up being discouraged by the industrial culture in the society (Charles, 2004). Consequently, the women in some of this occupations might fail to deliver which in turn makes most companies conclude that women input is limited compared to that of men.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the gender salary gap is real, functional and has been a hurting factor among most of the women globally. Often, it is assumed that the gap does not reflect traces of discrimination. However, it shows statistical artifacts of lack of adjustment for elements that promote the earning differences. Significantly, the so assumed factors mainly the functional differences are affected by gender biases. For us to comprehend the gender wage gap, we should not shift the blame to women for earning less, but we should scrutinize the economy to detect where unequal chances are for women at every juncture of their career, training, and education choices.

References

Aisenbrey S. Bruckner H. (2008).Occupational aspirations and the gender gap in wages.European Sociological Review, 24, 633 - 649

Bettio F. (2002). The pros and cons of occupational gender segregation in Europe.Canadian Public Policy, 28(S1), 65- 84.

Blackburn R. Jarman J. Brooks B. ( 2000). The puzzle of gender segregation and inequality: a cross-national analysis. European Sociological Review, 16, 119 - 135.

Charles M.Grusky D. ( 2004 ). Occupational Ghettos: the Worldwide Segregationof Women and Men . Stanford: Stanford University Press

Dwyer R. E. ( 2013 ). The care economy? Gender, economic restructuring, and job polarization in the US labor market. American Sociological Review, 78, 390 - 416.