Pay gaps are still an existing trend in the United States, especially among women and minorities. A new report found women and minorities who have recently graduated from college are facing lower incomes than their white and male counterparts.
According to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute, or EPI, young women and 8.1 percent of minorities have wages lower than what white men are getting. The wage gaps and unemployment rates are dimmer for women of color, as well as transgender people of color and disabled individuals of all races.
Young men who have graduated from college saw their wages rising by around 8.1 percent since 2000. Young women, however, have seen their incomes plummeting by 6.8 percent during the same period. In addition, recent college graduates who are black have a 9.4 percent unemployment rate.
Reasons Behind The Pay Gap
A survey from Glassdoor found that 93 percent of Americans think everyone should have equal pay for equal work. Despite this, there has been no notable change in the pay gap issue in the last decade.
The survey found that women are less likely than men to apply in companies that have pay gaps existing in their systems. Young adults in the U.S., U.K and Canada are also less likely to apply for jobs if men and women aren't equally compensated in a company.
Biases And Discrimination Exist
Employers may also be practicing biased hiring practices based on employees' gender and race, according to the Huffington Post. For example, some employers tend to overlook employees with Latino surnames and instead choosing to prioritize people with American surnames in the belief that the latter are more qualified. Workplace discrimination should be considered as well.
The pay gap isn't necessarily due to education or experience differences, and 41 percent of the gap's origins are still unexplainable, Time reported. Women employees are earning 91 percent of what their male counterparts even though they are doing the same work. It should be noted as well that women outdo men in college enrollment and graduation rates, which makes the gender pay gap unacceptable.
Some U.S. states have larger pay gaps than others. In Washington, D.C., women earn 90 percent of men's wages, while female workers in Wyoming only earn 64 percent of the men's salaries, Time further reported. In European nations like Spain and Norway, gender gaps have reportedly closed and went beyond 90 percent.
