Blog #5

Gender Inequality in the US workforce is an ongoing issue that is becoming more and more evident each day. The unfairness of wages between men and women is so evident that many organizations have risen in order to help change the issue. Women in the workforce are the main target affected by these wage gaps. The Pew Research Center states, “Among women across all races and ethnicities, hourly earnings lag behind those of white men and men in their own racial or ethnic group” (Patten). Therefore, every woman in the United States is affected whether they realize it or not. Many women even claim that they believe that their pay is equal to the pay of men, but ultimately no industry offers equal pay for equal work and even some high-skilled jobs have the worst pay gaps.

This ongoing social injustice is continually affecting not only women, but families of the women that depend on their pay to maintain a stable lifestyle. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, pay gap between men and women exists in nearly every spectrum of the United States. Women are paid less than men in every state and a majority of all work industries. New York leads all states with the smallest wage gap. Men earn an average of $52,124 and women earn an average of $46,208, which puts the gap at 11%. On average, men earn $10,470 more than women across all states in America. In specialist job’s, such as a surgeon, the earning-ratio between men and women is 64%. The reasons for this gap are still unknown, but the statistics are evident that women earn significantly less than men in most all industries.

       Different news articles show definite inequality in the workforce, and I couldn't believe that people could actually state that this fully apparent inequality is right and just. According to The Huffington Post “women in the United States make 79 cents for every dollar a man earns” giving us tangible facts that this is truly a problem (Pearson). It is evident that people are blindly denying the fact that women are being mistreated in the workforce. It is very important to implement equal pay into our laws today so that in the future, the wage gap between men and women can become infinitesimal. I believe that this ongoing issue should not be brushed aside any longer, and we should take a stand to end gender inequality in the United States workforce. When looking at the bigger picture of life, women should not have to CHOOSE between being a mother or pursuing a career due to fear of financial stability. What if women finally had the opportunity to pursue what we were passionate about, knowing that we will rightfully receive equal pay to men?

References:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/01/racial-gender-wage-gaps-persist-in-u-s-despite-some-progress/

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/no-the-gender-pay-gap-isnt-a-myth-and-heres-why_us_5703cb8de4b0a06d5806e03f
https://www.aauw.org/resource/gender-pay-gap-by-state-and-congressional-district/