Wage Gap

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Wage Gap
Introduction
Over the past decade, women in America have made incredible strides in remaining in the workforce as well as building and establishing their skills to accomplish equal pay in the workplace. The fight for equal pay started way back in the 20th century with the current wave of feminist movement that has been pushing for equal treatment of women in the social, economic and political sphere (Kinser 126). With the new laws pronouncing illegal the discrimination of women in the workplace, some changes have been seen in the economic sector and the number of women considered for jobs in the economic sector has significantly increased since the current wave of feminism movement started. However, the equal pay in the workplace has not been entirely implemented as women still find themselves earning way less than what men earn.
Despite the changes in the laws that govern this kind of relationship, some factors still play a part in its implementation which has been the reason why the fight for equal pay between men and women has not been entirely successful. In essence, the wage gap between men and women is real and even applies to some of the most famous and powerful women in the world. For instance, Jennifer Lawrence, a well-known movie star, known for her role as Mockingjay in one of the most watched movies, The Hunger Games, has also been a victim of this discrimination. Many people claim she got a raw deal as compared to her male counterparts in her role in the movie considering she was the star act in the movie.

This is just one of the many cases that have been witnessed about the wage gap. Other than these cases, several other cases have been brought to the limelight in the recent times. Most of these cases are, in most cases, associated with race. In fact, non-white women are even the most affected by wage gap as compared to the white women. This is to mean that race is also a factor when discussing the equal pay as white women are considered, for most jobs, as compared to non-white women. As such, these cases and incidences bring me to one simple question: why are women still paid less money and assets than men even after the passage of the law illegalizing discrimination of women in the workplace. In this regard, this paper seeks to critically analyze the major reasons why women still earn less than men both in assets and money. These reasons include:
Culture
On the first account, research shows that culture plays a major role in the wage gap between men and women. To understand how culture influences the wage gap, perhaps we should look at how history has dictated culture and the various beliefs and practices in the society. For instance, over the past decades, culture has always favored the participation of men in the workplace and the participation of women at home. Ideally, the practices and culture in our society consider women as home keepers and are tasked with raising the children in the families as well as other factors associated with motherhood. According to research done by Reskin, Barbara, and Roos, improvement in pay equality has been worse among women in vastly accomplished professions than those in careers that do not need a graduate degree (Reskin, Barbara, Roos 35). The article observes that this may be because women in well-paying and demanding occupations such as lawyers and doctors are severely penalized for the time they spend away from work and clients. In this regard, it is clear why these women have their wages reduced. The most logical and most discussed reason is the fact that they have home responsibilities and find it hard balancing both personal and professional priorities such as caring for their children and managing their careers.
In essence, culture has dictated the roles of women in families. In an ideal marriage, the mother is, in most cases, the one that is tasked with taking care of children and homes. Naturally, this has been the case since the beginning of time, and it is a culture that nature has found hard to do away with (Kinser 143). Men, on the other hand, have an advantage since their roles, as dictated by culture, is to provide for the family. In this regard, it is clear that men will possibly take more time working than women would thereby raise their wages while, on the other hand, women’s wages are reduced as a result of the time spent outside work taking care of their personal priorities.
Also, psychologists have also come up to explain the cultural influences associated with the wage gap. In their findings, they believe that the concept that men are more likely to take risks and the fact that women are more reluctant to apprehensive negotiations have a lot to do with the gap in the skills that exist between these two parties hence the disparity in their wages (Kinser 145). In essence, the skill gap and the wage gap starts with the notion and perception held by the society. The fact that men have more time on their hand to practice and work gives them more skills and experience as compared to women which explain why the wage gap is still big despite the efforts made by both the government and the different stakeholders that determine this wage difference.
Discrimination
Secondly, discrimination is still a major factor in the wage difference in the workplace. When it comes to hiring and promoting individuals, the concern that women are more likely to spend some time away from work and office is a factor that most people have attributed to the unequal and discriminatory distribution of resources and jobs in the country (Strong 27). People that hire or promote individuals expect the individuals to work full time and ensure maximum productivity. In this regard, factors that are associated with motherhood act as a serious limitation to the hiring and promotion of these individuals. For instance, taking time away from work compromises productivity which is one of the reasons most managers and employers consider when hiring. As such, men are more likely to be considered for these positions as well as promotions since they are not affected by the factors that affect women. As a result of the consideration, women end up being frustrated and resort to taking up low-paying jobs which then translate to the big wage gap seen in the job market. Fundamentally, the law discourages and even illegalizes discrimination of women in the workplace (Strong 29). However, much power has been put in the hands of the employers which provide a very big loophole in the legislation that seeks to protect women from discrimination in the workplace. The power given to the employers ensures that their interests are served first before considering the logistics associated with the hiring process. Their decisions are deemed to be binding especially when the other parties, mostly men, are hired and promoted on merit. As such, despite the efforts by the government to manage the wage gap between men and women by illegalizing the discrimination of women in the workplace, the practice is still present and exists in so many other forms that people cannot contemplate. Thus, among the factors that influence the wage gap, discrimination is considered as one of the most common.
Historical Practices
Thirdly, most disparities in the wages are seen in the older generation of workers. Among the younger generation, the wage gap is not that big as compared to the older generation of works. This can be attributed to the role of education and experience that traces back to the 1960s and 1970s (Corcoran, Mary, Duncan 17). During this time, men were more likely than women to have degrees and graduate from the universities and colleges. In fact, most women remained at home while men were busy acquiring their educational skills. In the job market, there was the same trend as there was in the education system. Men dominated all the aspects of the social, economic and political system. As a result of this, men had superior educational skills and the experience to prosper in the job market. In the contemporary society, the education system has completely changed, and women that graduate from the colleges and the university more or less graduate with the same qualifications as men. However, this is not the issue; the issue is the big wage gap that exists in the older working generation. With the occurrences and the trends in the 1960s and the 1970s, the experience and the educational skills men have is clearly superior to those that women have given them the advantage in the job market.
Occupation and the Industry
Lastly, occupation and the industry play a big role in the wage gap. This is because the women are currently trying to fill and are greatly entering careers and occupations that were previously filled by men. In essence, the journey of women to fill these opportunities has not been easy as they have had to adapt to the men’s way of managing their occupation (Reskin, Barbara, Roos 39). Considering personal priorities in their homes and the amount of time they take away from work, they have not managed to match the commitment and dedication that men have been known to put in these careers and occupation which has been one of the driving factors behind the big wage gap between the men and women. This is mostly seen in demanding careers such as law and medicine that require the full attention of a person which begs the question whether women can fully commit to these careers without other distractions. In as much as the distraction are natural and cannot be avoided, the effects they have on the productivity of the women is the main reason why they have not managed to live up to the standards that have been set by men; the dedication and hard work that the men have put to ensure their careers and occupations are productive enough. As such, the wage gap between men and women with regards to these demanding occupations have been widening as a result of the external distractions that women have been facing that have been the limiting factors in their ability to prosper and progress in the job market. However, many social scientists and economists debate on whether a person should rely or highlight the differences in the evident characteristics of the occupation and industry when analyzing the wage gap about gender. On the one hand, when these disparities result from predilections for dissimilar jobs, then it is sensible to refer to them. However, if women and men face several choices of jobs because of prejudice or the anticipation of unfairness, then one should not refer to the occupation and industry when examining the wage gap with regards to gender.
Conclusion
In conclusion, progress has been made with regards to the wage gap between men and women in America. The efforts that have been made by the government to illegalize any open discrimination against women in the job market has seen a number women get opportunities in the job market, and most women have climbed to the top of the ladder managing men and other women in the various organizations. The various movements to advocate for equal pay in the economic sector have also ensured progress in the economic sector. Compared to the 20th century, women in the current dispensation are more favored by the conditions and situations in the job market since they have been able to fill more than 40% of the opportunities contrary to the situation in the20th century when the numbers stood at 20%.

Annotated Works Cited
Corcoran, Mary, and Greg J. Duncan. “Work History, Labor Force Attachment, and Earnings Differences between the Races and Sexes.” Journal of Human Resources (1979): 3-20. Print
This article shades light on the historical development about the wage gap between men and women in the workplace. The article centers on why men have dominated the job market over the last decades, why the cultural practices and historical practices have played a major role in the disparity in the wages between the men and women and affected the current wage gap that is still a subject for debate. Also, the article highlights the major trends that have characterized the labor force for decades and the practices in the economic sector that have determined the payment of wages.
Kinser, Amber E. “Negotiating Spaces for/through Third-wave Feminism.” NWSA Journal 16.3 (2004): 124-153. Print
In this article, the focus is on the major pillars of the current wave of feminist movement. Among the pillars discussed in the article is the equal pay that has been the subject and focus of the movement for the last decade. In essence, this article shades light on why women are advocating for the equal pay despite the various challenges and factors that surround their ability to attain productivity. The article picks up from the works and efforts of the second wave of the movement and addresses the issues of equality in the economic, social and political sphere. Thus, the article serves the purpose of laying the foundation on the fight and advocating for equal treatment in the economic sector.
Reskin, Barbara F., and Patricia A. Roos. Job Queues, Gender Queues: Explaining Women’s Inroads into Male Occupations. Temple University Press, 2009. Print
In this article, the main focus is on the ability of the women to take up the jobs and opportunities that were initially filled by men. It highlights that the current education system and has enabled the women to attain the qualifications needed in the job market. However, this article highlights the limitations and the current stance on the kind of relationship people have in the economic sector. In fact, the article states how the focus of the women on the industry, occupation, and careers has been the major factor behind the rise in the ranks of most women offering men competition. The article, however, gives reasons why women have not been able to follow in the footsteps of men in the economic sector explaining why the wage gap is still high.
Strong, Hannah Louise. “Discrimination of Women in the Workplace.” (2016). Print
This article highlights the various forms of discrimination in the job market. The article talks about how women are discriminated against based on the eternal factors that affect their ability to be dedicated and committed to the work they do. Also, this article explains how, despite the law and legislation illegalizing discrimination of women, there still exist discrimination as explained in the article. In the article, the main focus is on the role of women and men in the workplace and how the disparity in their wages is influenced by external and persona factors. In essence, the article brings to light the various forms of discrimination in the workplace which is, in fact, against the Constitution as set out in the laws.
Kinser, Jane. “Understanding the” Family Gap” in Pay for Women with Children.” The Journal of Economic Perspectives 12.1 (1998): 137-156. Print
In this article, the reason for the wage gap is attributed to the responsibilities the women and men have. It discusses the role played by the children and family gap in the reduction of wages of women. Also, the amount of free time men have about their occupation is highlighted in this particular article. However, the main focus is on women and how their motherhood and children affect their productivity and ability to have the opportunities and compete with men in the job market.