Chastain 1

Claire Chastain
Mr. Rogers
Government 1
16 October 2016
Research Paper: Womens Issues
Women have been discriminated against since the beginning of our country. They have
only gotten the right to vote nationally less than 100 years ago, and there are still
monumental steps that not only our country needs to take, but the entire world.
Discrimination against women doesnt stop at voting; unequal pay in the workplace is still
going on today. In fact, although the gender pay gap has narrowed over time, at the current
rate of change, it will not close until 2059 (Blau). To help move the rate of change along, the
Earnings Act of 2017 should become a law because it will create equal pay for both men
and women, decrease discrimination in the workplace, and boost our economy.
Women are entitled to have the same pay as men in the workplace. The difference in pay
not only affects their spending power, but it also hurts womens retirement plans. Over the
course of her lifetime, this pay gap will cost a woman and her family lost wages, reduced
pensions and diminished Social Security (A Guide to Womens Equal Pay Rights). It is a
Constitutional privilege for everyone to have the same rights, no matter what gender, so
women and their families should be able to feel financially secure for their future. Also,
single women with children are more likely to be poor than married women, because of
womens generally low wages and because of the lack of financial support from their
husbands (Hurley 29). Women should never be dependent on a man to keep them stable. The

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gender pay gap causes women to have a disadvantage in salary, and it also causes
discrimination in the workplace.
Discrimination is defined as making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing
based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on
individual merit. This is what some employers do to women, purely based on their gender, or
even race. Female full-time workers make only 79 cents for every dollar earned by men, a
gender wage gap of 21% (Pay Equity and Discrimination). And even worse, African
American women earn only 64 cents and Latinas only 56 cents for each dollar earned by a
white male (Equal Pay for Equal Work: Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act). So with all these
hard facts, why are employers still not taking action to improving the state of equal salaries
for men and women? Also, in an article by Latifa Lyles, is an example of very obvious
discrimination; Women are 90 percent of registered nurses, but they still make 12 percent
less than their male counterparts. (Lyles) There is no reason that women should be making
substantially less than men, especially in a job where women make up the majority.
Improving equal pay can also benefit our economy.
Women make up nearly half of the U.S. labor force and are a growing number of
breadwinners in their families (Obama), therefore, they greatly contribute to the economy.
Womens increased participation in the paid labor force has been a major driver of economic
growth in recent decades. According to the Council of Economic Advisers, the U.S. economy
is $2.0 trillion bigger today than it would have been if women had not increased their
participation and hours since 1970 ( EPI Announces Bold Agenda to Raise Womens
Wages.). Trillions of dollars have been made by women alone in the past 40 years, which
reveals the importance of equality in pay; women can do the same amount of hard work as

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men. A woman working full time, year-round earns $10,800 less per year than a man, based
on median annual earnings. This disparity can add up to nearly a half million dollars over a
career (Collins). A half a million dollars is lost for every women throughout her career that
could have been spent and circulated into our economy. Although the facts prove how
creating equal pay could greatly benefit the economy, some still believe that the pay gap isnt
important.
People still believe that the root cause of unequal pay is womens lack of drive and
motivation in the workplace. In The Paycheck Fairness Act, section 5 authorizes the
Secretary to make grants to eligible entities for negotiation skills training programs for girls
and women. (" H.R.1619 - Paycheck Fairness Act.") With these skills, women are able to
become more qualified for the positions they hold and gain experience with becoming good
negotiators with their coworkers and employers. Some people also believe that men who are
in higher power positions are entitled to receive higher pay. In the Paycheck Fairness Act, the
jobs need not be identical, but they must be substantially equal. Job content (not job titles)
determines whether jobs are substantially equal ("Equal Pay/Compensation
Discrimination."). This federal act makes it illegal to pay men higher salaries based solely on
title they hold in their workplace. Making this extremely clear to employers is imperative in
assuring that women receive equal pay.
The Earnings Act of 2017 will constitute equal salaries for men and women, reduce
gender discrimination in the workplace, and boost the economy. Creating equal pay for
everyone will increase the amount of national productivity and enhance the ability of
companies to gain employees with the promise of a fair work environment, free of
discrimination. As a society, we need to continue to encourage people to go beyond

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stereotypes and recognize the contributions that each individual, male or female, can make to
the workplace and to relationships at home (Gender Inequality and Women in the
Workplace). The time for change in pay equity is now; we must create equal pay for
everyone in order to look forward to a more prosperous future.

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Works Cited
N/A. A Guide to Womens Equal Pay Rights. Dol.gov. Womens Bureau U.S.
Department of Labor. April 2012. Web. 6 October 2016.
https://www.dol.gov/sites/default/files/documents/featured/equalpay/equalpay-employee.pdf
N/A. Gender Inequality and Women in the Workplace. Harvard.edu. Harvard
University, 2015. Web.
http://www.summer.harvard.edu/inside-summer/gender-inequality-women-workplace
N/A. " Equal Pay for Equal Work: Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act." ACLU.org.
American Civil Liberties Union. 2 January 2016. Web. 18 September
2016.
https://www.aclu.org/equal-pay-equal-work-pass-paycheck-fairness-act
N/A/ "Equal Pay/Compensation Discrimination." EEOC.gov. U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, 5 December 2015. Web. 18 September 2016.
https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/equalcompensation.cfm
N/A. " H.R.1619 - Paycheck Fairness Act." Congress.gov. 16 November 2015. Web. 18
September 2016.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1619
N/A. EPI Announces Bold Agenda to Raise Womens Wages. Senate.gov. Economic
Policy Institute (EPI), November 18, 2015. Web. 6 October 2016.
http://www.epi.org/press/epi-announces-bold-agenda-to-raise-womens-wages/

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N/A. "Pay Equity & Discrimination." IWPR. Org. Institute for Women's Policy Research,
7 July 2010. Web. 6 September 2016
http://www.epi.org/press/epi-announces-bold-agenda-to-raise-womens-wages/
Blau, D. Francine. Women Will Not See Equal Pay with Men until 2059, One Year
Longer than Previously Projected. Senate.gov. IWPR, September 2015.
Web. 6 October 2016.
Collins, Benjamin and Feder, Jody. Pay Equity: Legislative and Legal Developments.
Congressional Research Service.gov. EEOC, November 22, 2013. Web. 6
October 2016.
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=2202&context=key_workplace
Hurley, Jennifer A. Feminism: Opposing Viewpoints. Greenhaven Press Inc. 2001.
Print.
Lyles, Latifa. Its Time for Equal Pay Now. DOL.gov. U.S. Department of Labor. 13
April 2015. Web. 10 October 2016.
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=2202&context=key_workplace
Obama, Barack. "Your Right to Equal Pay." WhiteHouse.gov. The White House, 12
April 2014. Web. 6 September 2016.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/equal-pay

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