Lynn University
In the world today there are many issues that need to be addressed. Some issues are more prevalent than others and some are easier to solve. One issue that while not easily solvable which needs to be addressed far more seriously on the world stage, is that of equal rights for women in particular equal pay for women. (Hartman et al., 3). Throughout history women's wages have been much lower as compared to their male counterparts. In the 1960’s that difference was 40.2 percent according to the U.S National Equal Pay Task Force in 2013, while in 2013 the difference was at 23 percent (Rubery et,al). This pay discrepancy does not mean that women perform or are expected to perform less work than their male counterpart. No instead they are expected to provide the same amount of manpower in various tasks, but for less pay. Many economists and others have justified this wage discrepancy by blaming women themselves. their argument being that women get paid less because they choose to have families and time off for maternity leave affects their ability to grow and advance within the company. This is a poorly orchestrated excuse that works to villainize motherhood, and does not explain why women who do not have children or mothers who do not take their full maternity leave still are not paid equal to their male counterparts.
Equal pay among all genders is important for a number of reasons. It would enable women to get out of poverty, to get an education, and to gain independence. It is important to give women the opportunity and ability to provide for herself and her children independent of a man, especially in areas where women’s rights are not freely given. According to Hartmann et.al in their article “How Equal Pay for Working Women Would Reduce Poverty and Grow the American Economy” about 68 percent of the 71 percent of women who are employed are married. Despite this the women’s income is vital when it comes to the support of the family. This is because it is nearly impossible to survive on a single income. Thirty-two percent of women in the workforce are single mothers, who are the sole breadwinners for their families. (Hartmann et, al). There are also the women without children, who work to support themselves. Hartmann et, al analyzed the 2010-2012 Current Population Survey Annual Social and economic Supplement and concluded that (1) close to 60 percent of women would earn more if they were paid the same as men, who had the same amount of education and experience. (2) equal pay for all women would decrease the poverty rate by over half, from 8.1 percent to 3.9 percent. While the extremely high poverty rate for single working mothers would decrease from “28.7 percent to 15 percent” (Hartmann et, al). (3) Wage equality would ensure that the 14.3 million women who are single, divorced, separated and widowed would see a decrease in their poverty levels from 11.0 percent to 4.6 percent (Hartmann et, al) (4) Finally, women receiving equal pay would benefit the U.S economy in that it would create a surplus income of $447.6 billion or 2.9 percent of the gross domestic product (Hartmann et, al). This would mean an increase in income that is equivalent to more than 14 times what the Federal government paid in Temporary Assistance to Needy Families in 2012 (Hartmann et, al).
One case in recent years that has brought the equal pay issue to the forefront of American lives is The Supreme Court’s decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that abolished it (Eisenberg). Ledbetter sued Goodyear for pay discrimination under Title VII and the EPA (Eisenberg). In investigating the case it was discovered that the pay difference between Ledbetter and other male area mangers “ranged from fifteen to forty percent” (Eisenberg) and that Ledbetter’s salary as an area manager was less than the lowest paid “male in the same job and department, and substantially less than men with equal or less seniority.” (Eisenberg). In fact, Ledbetter’s pay was so low that it fell below the company’s minimum salary for a manager. There was no reason for this oversight as Ledbetter’s job description and duties were exactly the same as the men she was working with.
Nonetheless when the case went to trial the judge did not focus on the fact that Ledbetter did the same exact work as her male counterparts, but rather the “particular purpose” and “different products” made by each business center in which the managers worked. (Eisenberg). The judge determined that “some specialized skill was required for Area Managers to supervise employees in different business centers.” (Eisenberg). The judge also decided that Ledbetter did not prove that she had done equal work. Nevertheless, Goodyear themselves acknowledged that Ledbetter’s duties and job description were “similarly situated” to all other managers under Title VII” (Eisenberg). The judge then proceeded to dismiss Ledbetter’s Title VII claim based on the fact that Goodyear defended Ledbetter’s performance. This did great damage to the integrity of the Equal Pay Act. Later at trial the Title VII was reinstated and Ledbetter was awarded $3, 843, 041.93 by the jury. This was later reduced by the District Court Judge to $360,000.
While Ledbetter’s attorneys felt that they had a better chance at obtaining damages by filing a claim under Title VII instead of the EPA. This was because the EPA had already dismissed much of their claim based on prima facie (Eisenberg). However, this would later be found to be a faulty course of action as not pursuing the EPA claim, Ledbetter found herself facing a number of obstacles in going after the Title VII claim. This shows exactly how difficult it is for women to be able to gain the compensation that they are entitled to. What should have been a cut and dry case based on nothing more than job title, performance and duties became an argument on how Ledbetter pursued her claim.
Providing women with equal pay would help to ensure that the social injustice issue is eradicated. Women deserve equal pay for the same amount of work done as their male counter parts. While the Equal Pay Act has been the edict for an estimated 50 years, it is imperative that the law is updated to address the current issues in equal pay based on gender. Gender equality has been a debate that has been going on since women began inundating the workforce in the 1960’s. The rights of women have been, for long, undermined and misrepresented (Hartmann, Hayes & Clark, 2014). Despite the struggle of women to be treated equal to their male counterparts, most of them are still being underpaid across the globe. It is imperative to understand that women should be treated in equal with their male counterparts. The rights of women, especially equal pay, vary across different cultures and regions across the globe. While the disparity in equal pay between male and female workers maybe wide in America, the gap is even wider in other regions such as the Middle East and Africa. While most cultures do not recognize women's rights, other cultures and countries strive and fight for equal treatment of both women and men. Women’s rights vary from equal pay, equal treatments to the right to similar freedom and obligations as their male counterparts.
Equal pay for women varies by location across the country and across the globe, for example the women in Washington earn a mean of 90 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earn due to transparency in government wages. On the other hand, women in other regions earn way less. On the other hand, women in Wyoming are paid 64 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts for the same amount of work and duration. In one of the reports that was presented by Shriver, women receive an average of about 77 cents every dollar that a man earns for equal tasks. This presents the idea that men are favored as compared to women, thus the reason as to why the issue should be addressed in order to eradicate the disparity. The pay gap widens in relations to race (Eisenberg, 17). African- American women have been showcased as receiving much lesser wages as compared to their white counterparts, whereas the Hispanic and Latinas are at the bottom of the list.
One of the legislations which has tried to ensure that there is equal pay between men and women is the Equal Pay Act which passed in 1963. However, there has been minimal progression that has been noted due to the fact that for over 40 years only a close of only 18 cents has been noted (Rubery et al., 321). Due to the huge pay disparity women have been recorded losing to about $ 2 million dollars in their lifetime. This is a lot of money; which individual women could use to ensure to promote their personal growth.
There are a number of benefits that will be recognized by all stakeholders in the
economy if the pay disparity between men and women is addressed. One of the benefits that
will be realized is the fact that there will be economic growth. The more women are paid the
more they will spend thus improving the economy. It is important to understand that a majority
of women are some of the key decision makers on spending at home, thus allocating them
more resources to spend will ensure improved economic growth. Employees will also benefit by offering equal pay to women due to the fact that they will retain talent. Most women who feel
underpaid opt to move from the initial jobs to better paying jobs (Hartman et al., 3). Providing equal pay to women will ensure that they are free. This enables them to make more decisions when it comes to their family’s finances. Women who are awarded equal pay with men,
which is considered to be a fair wage, will also have the freedom of promoting their dreams by
raising enough capital which they can use to start up other businesses. This will create more
employment opportunities thus promoting competitiveness in the economy (Eisenberg, 17).
The United States of America also promotes justice among all citizens. Ensuring that the wage gap between men and women is closed this will be abiding by the constitution in promoting justice (Dutta- Gupta & Grant, 6). Ensuring wage equality between men and women will ensure that also social injustices that are being witnessed are dealt with effectively.
In conclusion, wage inequality to women because of their gender is a very serious issue
that must be addressed. The issue is one of the major social injustices that are being addressed
growth and financial freedom among women are some of the benefits that will be realized by
dealing with the issue. Most people still subscribe to the school of thought that a man is better
than a woman in more ways than one. While that school of thought is not true, there are some
types of works that only men can handle effectively. Similarly, there are some jobs that only
women can handle effectively. However, for a normal-leveled job that does not regard gender
differences, both men and women should be treated, if not paid, equally for the same amount of
work and duration. Finishing the essay with a quote of one of the presidential candidates of
today. “Last time I checked, there’s no discount for being a woman, groceries don’t cost us
less, rent doesn’t cost us less, so why should we be paid less?”- Hillary Clinton
References
Dutta-Gupta, Indivar, and Kali Grant. "Poverty and Inequality in America: Why We Should
Care and What We Should Do." InsightFall 2015 (2015): 6.
Eisenberg, Deborah Thompson. "Shattering the Equal Pay Act's glass ceiling." Southern
Methodist University Law Review 63 (2010): 17.
Hartmann, Heidi, Jeffrey Hayes, and Jennifer Clark. "How equal pay for working women
would reduce poverty and grow the American economy." Institute for Women’s Policy
Research. Retrieved from http://www. iwpr. org/publications/pubs/how-equalpay-forworking-
women-would-reduce-poverty-and-grow-the-americaneconomy Two
Generation Approaches to Poverty Reduction and the EITC (2014).
Peck, E. (n.d.). Hillary Clinton: ‘There’s No Discount For Being A Woman, So Why Should
We Be Paid Less?’.
Rubery, Jill, and Damian Grimshaw. "The 40-year pursuit of equal pay: a case of constantly
moving goalposts." Cambridge Journal of Economics39.2 (2015): 319-343.
