From the Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap article we learned that despite pay discrimination becoming illegal, women still earn less than men. In fact, women only earn 83 cents for every dollar a man earns. Because of this pay gap, women suffer in retirement with lowered social security and pensions. This pay gap is also dependent on race and ethnicity. The pay gap is lowest for Asian women at 87% and white women at 79%. It is highest for black women at 63% and hispanic women at a shocking 55%. This is a result of many factors such as discrimination and education opportunities. The pay gap also changes with age, as women tend to make even less money compared to men as they get older. This gap is seen across all industries and occupations.
In the Simple Truth 2020 update, we learned more about the pay gap, why it exists, and ways to close it. This update contains important information regarding the COVID19 pandemic and how it exacerbated the economic insecurity among female populations. Women’s unemployment rate rose during the pandemic and mothers lost their jobs at increased rates compared to fathers. This update also highlighted the important fact that the wage gap persists between men and women across factors such as disability status, immigration status, race, ethnicity, age, education level, sexual orientation, and many others. This gap exists due to factors such as sexism, gender roles, motherhood, the fact that work done by women is undervalued, and the fact that women are often forced into lower-paying jobs. For women of color, the wage gap increases or stays the same despite increasing levels of education. This is not true of white women, as increasing their education minimizes the gap. To close the gap, this update suggests that pay equity acts be passed, that pay audits be regularly conducted, that previous salaries should not be disclosed upon hiring, and that better access to childcare be provided among other suggestions.
The CNN article highlights the successes and failures of various countries regarding paid maternity leave. Countries within Europe appear to be the most advanced in offering the most paid maternity time. However, they note that not all paid maternity time is equal, as the pay rate may decrease during these absences. Bulgaria offers the most amount of paid maternity leave and the highest pay rates, while the U.S. falls to the bottom with no required paid maternity leave. When all factors are considered, Estonia offers 166 weeks of paid time off to mothers with a majority of them being full pay.
The Pew Research article highlights the astonishing lack of paid maternity leave to mothers in the U.S. compared to other countries. In fact, it is the only country among 41 other countries that does not offer any paid maternity leave. Other countries are excelling at care for mothers including mothers who adopt and mothers who have recently given birth. Furthermore, 34 of these countries are offering paid time off to fathers. Paid time off for fathers is generally shorter. Some states within the U.S. have mandated paid maternity leaves, but they are few and far between.
The Family and Medical Leave Act information showcases the lack of paid time off within the United States. This act only offers certain employees 12 weeks of leave that is unpaid and is merely in place to offer job security. These 12 weeks can be used on medical emergencies for the employee or their families and for the birth or adoption of a child. This leave is not available to everyone, however, as employees are only eligible if they have been employed by their employer for at least 12 months and have worked at least 1,250 hours in the past year, and if they are employed at a location with at least 50 employees within a 75 mile radius. These 12 weeks of leave are chipped away at during pregnancy complications and are not always available to every employee. It is important to reiterate that these 12 weeks are unpaid.
While reading all of this information, I became quite overwhelmed thinking of how this will apply to me and my future. It is discouraging to know that no matter how hard I work, I will never have the same financial gain that I would have if I were a man. It is also discouraging to know that a man who has less experience than I do or who generally does not work as hard as me will likely earn more than me and receive more benefits purely because he is a man. As a BBH major, I am constantly surrounded by brilliant, hard-working women who are passionate about their future careers. It is painful to know that their dedication will not be met with financial compensation. As someone who does not want to get married it is also concerning to know that my choice to remain single will be financially detrimental to me whereas it may not be so detrimental to a man. The pay gap reinforces the stereotype that women should depend on men for security and upholds institutions such as marriage.
I could not calculate a current wage gap for myself as I am currently unemployed, however, I thought this would be a good space to discuss the patterns I have noticed working in the service industry as a young female. I have worked the past three summers in various restaurants and bars in a popular beach town, and have absolutely noticed discrimination in terms of treatment, tips, and dress code at these establishments. In these work environments it is not uncommon to be sexually harassed by customers and other staff members. This impacts the quality of my work and thus my tips. I have also noticed that male servers and bartenders tend to make more tips on occasion because they are less common in the places I worked. I was also expected to look more professional on a daily basis, have my makeup and hair done, had regulations on perfumes I could wear, and was even encouraged by other employees to dress provocatively in order to be tipped what I deserved regardless of my attire. All of these factors impede on the quality of work within the service industry and impact pay.
When I calculated what my personal wage gap would be for my future career, I found that I would be in the 78th percentile of working women with the same education level as me. I estimated that I would be making around $92,000 yearly as a professional bioethicist. If I were a man, I would be making $129,519 a year, which is $37,519 more than my own estimated salary. It was estimated that if the gender wage gap had closed, I would be making around $151,104 per year which is $59,104 more per year and would account for a 64% raise. Another estimate showed that such a difference would mean that I would have to work for free until April 10th every year. If I were to be a black or hispanic woman, this gap would be even wider. The chart below displays these inequalities across gender and race.
