One of the major topics in today’s media stories is that of gender inequality in the workplace. Stories abound from all over, whether it be in corporate America or in Hollywood. The clear argument is that women are working just as hard as men, sometimes harder, yet they are not paid the same nor treated with the same level of respect.
According to an ABC News story, in August 2017 Forbes released their list of the highest paid actors. The top earner at an astounding $68 million was Mark Wahlberg. That astronomical figure makes the highest grossing female actress, Emma Stone’s, salary of $26 million appear as if it were pennies. (Rothman 2017)
It’s mind blowing that they earn that kind of money for something as simple as acting in movies and television shows. That in itself though is a whole other topic. However, what is the explanation for this $42 million pay difference? That’s right, $42 million. And if it’s happening in Hollywood where essentially their whole existence is in the public eye; then what is happening in corporate America in regards to the pay gap and treatment of women?
“On average, women working full-time earn just 78 cents for every dollar men earn.” (Quick n.d.) The Institute for Women’s Policy Research explained further that this wage gap will take at least until the year 2058 before it is correct. What caused this gap? Some can relate it back to the era of women moving into the workplace as the men went off to war. At that time, there were no laws or regulations protecting these women’s rights, and the male business owners were under no obligation to treat the women fairly, and instead saw it as an opportunity to short change their female employees and pad their own pockets.
Even with these astonishing examples, currently the US is ahead of many other countries as far as the wage gap goes according to the Van Kampen Law, PC blog cited below. Again I chose to dive into the Indian culture for this analysis. “Women in India earn 20 per cent less than men, indicating that gender plays an important parameter while determining salaries in India, says a report.” (PTI, 2018) But, isn’t 20% of a dollar $0.20? Meaning in India the women are making 80 cents less per dollar, whereas the US women are making 78 cents for every dollar? Maybe the US isn’t as far ahead as the articles are touting us to be.
“Monster.com also carried out a Women of India Inc survey, capturing responses of about 5,500 working men/women. As per the survey, a majority of respondents (69 per cent) said gender parity needs to be a top priority for organisations as only 10 per cent organisations have a robust gender diversity programme.”(PTI, 2018)
I suppose I always knew that the gender pay gap existed on a global level, but given the opportunity to research this same topic in comparison to another culture’s experiences, it does make me take a look at my own employment situation. This information will come in handy given that I am up for a promotion and pay increase later this month; so, my personal goal is to not only close the gap in an established US company but also one that is Indian owned.
References
PTI. (2018, March 07). The Economic Times. Retrieved from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/gender-pay-gap-scenario-daunting-in-india-women-get-paid-20-less-than-men/articleshow/63204351.cms
Rothman, M., Korn, M. 2017. ABC News. August 29. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/pay-gap-men-women-hollywood-growing/story?id=49376405.
Quick, Jordan. n.d. Van Kampen Law, PC. https://www.ncemploymentattorneys.com/blog/gender-inequality-in-the-workplace/.
The gender pay gap is a fascinating subject. While it is clear in research that there is a huge gap in pay between male and females on average in all industries, there are those that say there is an explanation for that and it does not have to do with discrimination. The natural Bureau of Economic Research show that the wage gap starts to occur after a woman’s first child. This usually happens because woman start needing more time off for child birth, child bonding, doctors appointment, school, etc. According to the study childbearing accounts for 80% of the gender wage gap. After women have children, their motivation changes. They start to appreciate having a flexible schedule or more time off over raises and employers take advantage of that. Now, this is just one theory, and may not apply to all situations, but it is something to think about.
Kiff, S. (2018) A stunning chart shows the true cause of the gender wage gap. The gender wage gap is really a child care penalty. Vox.com Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/2018/2/19/17018380/gender-wage-gap-childcare-penalty