Introduction
With women earning 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts, one cannot help but wonder why the equal pay act was enacted in 1963 (Rodgers, 2006). On average an African American woman is paid 63 cents for every dollar a male counterpart receives. On the other hand, a Latin American woman receives just 54 cents for every dollar a man earns. Even if the national average stands at 77 cents for every male worker’s dollar, the situation does not seem to improve (Rodgers, 2006). Gender based wage discrimination has been one among the top vices in the country’s social spectrum. With people, including political leaders, arguing for and against wage discrimination, women hope things will change. This paper endeavors to argue against discrimination against women in salary.
Argument against Discrimination against Women in Salary
Among the most significantly commemorated days in the United States is the Equal Pay Day. While people question the essence of the day, it makes sense that discrimination against women should be shunned at all costs. Rationally, human beings are equal. While the man may be conventionally the head of the house, it makes sense that women should be paid equally because in the contemporary world, both spouses do contribute equally to matters of family finance (Rodgers, 2006). Those against equal pay argue that typically men should be paid higher wages because they are the heads of families, and should be expected to fend for the family. In refutation, the proponents of equal pay argue that constitutionally, both genders are equal. Since the employment agreement is defined by the law, all employees should be paid equally irrespective of their gender.
Proponents of the gender based wage discrimination argue that in many cultures the man is superior in the sense that the literacy levels among men are significantly higher. While this will pass as a fact, it makes sense that women should be paid equally as a way of motivating them and upholding gender equality in the workplace. According to Rodgers (2006), women are, on average less educated when viewed in comparison with men. Among the primary reasons as to why the pay ought to be paid equally is to encourage the modest cultures to educate their women such that they can access equal opportunities.
The third reason why women should not be discriminated against in salary is because the contemporary world advocates for equal opportunity employment. Equal opportunity employment means that the employers should use merit during their staffing processes. It therefore follows that payment should be done on merit. The employers should therefore remain blind to gender i.e. they should reward equally. Rodgers (2006) argues that discriminating on wages along the lines of gender amounts to harassment because, essentially, one person gets paid better than another person offering the same services. Proponents of discrimination of women in salary argue that on a general scale, men are better performers, according to research. In refutation, the opponent of salary discrimination would argue that paying women equally as men will motivate them to the same extent such that they can perform better.
Conclusion
In conclusion it is clear to see that, from the foregoing, women are and should be subjected to equal treatment in salary because constitutionally, they are equal with men. Looking at the matter through the moral eye, it goes without saying that the traditional place of the woman has since changed from household chores to the corporate world. Secondly, rewarding women the same way as men will no doubt encourage women to work hard towards attaining higher levels of literacy. Lastly, the discrimination against women amounts to harassment, which is a common vice in the contemporary place of work.
References
Rodgers, W. M. I. I. I. (2006). Handbook on the Economics of Discrimination. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub.
