Gender pay gap is a long-standing issue in the U.S. Although over the decades, the salary of women against that of men has become almost equal, there is still a glaring difference. Even with more women seeking higher education, gender pay gap is still looming in the workplace.
Gender Pay Gap Exists Despite Equal Educational Attainment
Big Think mentioned that an old notion of making it a requisite for women to be at par with men in terms of education for them to have equal treatment in the workplace remains a theory. Today, despite the almost equal educational attainment between men and women, gender pay gap still exists in the workplace.
RT if you support closing the #genderpaygap and making #EqualPayDay a thing of the past. pic.twitter.com/cL0O7ao4id
— Tammy Baldwin (@tammybaldwin) April 12, 2016
A University of Vermont research shows that education wise, women have already almost caught up with men. Women have reached 91 percent of the education that men did. The remaining nine percent may seem innocuous, yet a gap of 77 cents to a dollar still separates the salary of men from women.
The Underlying Reason Behind Gender Pay Gap: STEM
According to Big Think, the other underlying reason still has something to do with STEM. This includes science, technology, engineering and math. Since there were only a few women who engages in STEM majors, men still look at them as incompetent. Men see women as weak to occupy leadership positions concerning fields in STEM.
Politics Count In Gender Pay Gap
The research also suggested that political representation may play a role in the tenacious gender pay gap. There seems to be a fear factor behind, which makes men think that in helping women succeed, men will more likely fail.
Can We Close Gender Pay Gap?
According to The Atlantic, even though gender pay gap is at its narrowest today, no concrete solution is offered to close this great divide. Even if women would be occupying higher positions, or encroach in professions previously thought as men's forte, gender pay gap will still exist if women will be paid less.
It is time for #EqualPay for Equal Work. Close the #GenderPayGap once and for all! pic.twitter.com/zBcYTHR0qF — Robin Hood Tax (@RobinHoodTax) April 14, 2016
Legislative Action Necessary?
There is an existing legislation that is meant to close gender pay gap. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was enacted to close the disparity in salaries between men and women. While this imposes that men and women should receive the same salary if they do the same kind of work, it is unfortunate that such is not being strictly observed in the workplace.
Although gender pay gap narrowed over the years, the fact remains that it still does exist. Many women have reached higher educational attainment and occupy higher positions in both government and business sector, yet it seems that such is not enough to put an end to the discriminatory salary treatment between men and women.
Is there a solution to gender pay gap? Do you have one in mind? Share your thoughts below.
