BIO-218X

5/29/18

Cadet Delaney-Manuel

Pay gaps between genders

When it comes to the workforce of our country, pay is always the main topic of debate. Whether the talk is revolving around minimum wage, or equal job opportunity, gender has a large role in the debate. Some may say that there is no pay gap between genders, but data proves that incorrect. When calculating the gender pay gap, differences in education, as well as experience are factored into the total pay. Even after these are factored in, there is still a gap between male and female pay. This does not necessarily mean that there is discrimination, but it does mean there is a undeniable inequality. This inequality stretches across race as well. although the biggest gap between male and female pay in the workplace occurs in Asian and white communities, it is also apparent black and latino communities. In the medical field in particular, there is a large gap in pay between men and women. Despite the fact that the women on average worked more nights than their male counterparts, they made $14,581 less than their male peers.

This gender gap can be seen across the globe as well. Due to the simple fact that women have certain gender inequalities that men do not have in life, like reproductive control, they have less opportunities than males do. They have less access to work, child care which is a large factor because mothers tend to be the caregivers of children, education, and also healthcare. Women in other countries not having control over their reproductive rights is a major factor and also a problem. Women have to , in some cases, consult their husband about getting and taking birth control. They also have less access to healthcare without the presence of a husband. In many cases hospitals will not treat women without their husband present and will not keep the doctor to patient privacy from the husbands.

For the U.S., one problem we have in the gender gap debate is where we rank ourselves. In a study done, where they take in to account the number of infant mortality, ad how the mothers are treated during and after birth, we rank 33 in the world. Considering that the U.S. is supposed to be the land of equality, why should we rank so low? One example of why we rank so low is because the U.s> does not always mandate paid maternity leave or paternity leave in some instances. This would force parents to not be able to nurture their children as much and put them into daycare systems and get back  into the workforce before they should. The U.S. also has a fairly large pay gap between genders. In 2017, the U.S. ranked 49 out of 144 out of the best place in the world to be a woman. Not only were salaries accounted for, but they also took into account healthcare options, social freedoms and expectations and standard of living for women in general. These numbers are scary and need to be changed if we are to call ourselves the land of equality.

Help received: Powerpoint slides

Noah Delaney-Manuel