It has certainly been a hot-topic in the news the past few years that the pay disparity between genders is substantial. According to Forbes Advisor, women earn 16% less than men on average (Haan). Although there have been numerous repeated attempts to dissolve the gap, there is still a disparity that exists.
The statistics can be broken down based on race and ethnicity, too. For example, “Women of color are among the lowest-paid workers in rural areas, with rural Black and Hispanic women making just 56 cents for every dollar that rural white, non-Hispanic men make.” Additionally, Latinas are only paid 55% of what white men are paid in 2024, and Black women are only paid 64% of what white men are paid (Haas). There are plenty more statistics that work to prove the factual difference in pay between white men and women of color.
When examining the pay gap, it is important to understand that there are two different categories for the pay gap. One type is known as ‘uncontrolled’ and the other is called ‘controlled’. The controlled gap is referring to the difference in pay between men and women who are working the same job, while the uncontrolled gap describes the difference between men and women in different occupations.
Another important concept to understand is that the title of the job heavily impacts the disparity in pay between men and women. Yes, the gap extends to nearly profession, but some job titles see the impact more than others. This is crucial in understanding causes in the pay gap in order to develop a solution.
Another helpful tool in understanding the breakdown in the pay gap is to compare the hourly wage rates between men and women. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the hourly pay for low-wage jobs is $13.55 for men and $12.00 for women. For middle-wage jobs, the pay is $24.77 for men and $20.96 for women. Finally, for high-wage jobs the pay for men is $65.08 and for women it is $50.03. As you can tell, no matter what percentile one’s job falls into, the pay disparity still exists.
We need to work towards creating a work environment where a wage gap does not exist between the genders, and especially between women of color. Here are some ways to achieve this goal, according to the American Association of University Women:
- Donate to an organization that supports gender equity
- Be a part of the equity network within the AAUW
- Partner with the AAUW
Thank you.
Works Cited:
“Gender Wage Gap Widens Even as Low-Wage Workers See Strong Gains: Women Are Paid Roughly 22% Less than Men on Average.” Economic Policy Institute, www.epi.org/blog/gender-wage-gap-widens-even-as-low-wage-workers-see-strong-gains-women-are-paid-roughly-22-less-than-men-on-average/. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.
Haan, Katherine. “Gender Pay Gap Statistics in 2024.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024, www.forbes.com/advisor/business/gender-pay-gap-statistics/#:~:text=Women%20earn%2016%25%20less%20than,%2C%20non%2DHispanic%20men%20make.
“The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap: Aauw Report.” AAUW, 16 Oct. 2023, www.aauw.org/resources/research/simple-truth/.
These are such great tips to help with something that affects women especially. It has been such an issue for a long time and no one has really done much about it. I think everyone plays a role in helping this, it’s not just up to one gender in particular.
This has been an ongoing issue for a while now. I remember being just a young girl, my mom would talk about this to my dad. It used to always be “soon it will be fixed” but after 10 years this issue should have been solved already.
I feel the same of what you said before it is something that is an ongoing issue for a long time now and It’s an issue that really hasn’t been fixed at all and really kind of swept under the rug especially with my mom being a immigrant black mom being paid less than her co-workers doing the exact same thing is something that should be changed. I think you touched on a lot of facts and I loved reading this about a topic that an issue should be fixed.